PUPPY LOVE

THE couple were laid out on their bright towels like great mounds of underdone beef on a griddle. The small brown form obligingly trotted away.

The larger mound collapsed back into his horizontal position and muttered darkly to his wife lying motionless beside him. He held forth about the unsanitary habits of stray dogs, disease, lack of access controls, pounds, the uselessness of lifeguards . . . his language as ugly as the snarl on his face. The woman lay passive for a while until he was done. Then grunted a desultory assent.

Padding effortlessly over the sand on lanky legs, his big paws leaving only the faintest prints, the dog explored the tide-line – tail up, ears cocked.

A scuttling ghost crab, near translucent in the harsh glare of sun and glittering sand, drew his immediate attention. Nose down, a deep frown