Visiting the beach on a chilly day can make for a nice walk. Usually there aren’t as many people out, making you feel as if you have your own private lot of sand. Sure, you won’t be dipping your toes in the water, and you’ll likely be wearing an extra few layers, but a visit to your favourite beach on a cold October day can still be relaxing. Still not sold? Ok, imagine being surrounded by dogs. That’s right; fluffy, short haired, big or tall, so many dogs and you can pet them all! Allow me to tell you about McDonald Beach Park.

I first visited McDonald beach in early September, it was a nice sunny day, warm enough for just a t-shirt and shorts (I miss those days). “Hey, do you want to go to a Dog Beach?” my girlfriend asked me. “Dog Beach?” I responded. She laughed. “It’s exactly what it sounds like, a beach filled with dogs.” I was curious and a little skeptical. Surely, such a place couldn’t possibly exist. We loaded up her two dogs, Max and Maisy, and drove out, eager to see the mythical dog beach.

At first glance McDonald Park looks like any other park; large field, a parking lot, and some public washrooms. I saw a few dogs, but not enough to classify this as a “Dog Beach”. We unload her dogs, leash them up and walk along the path. Eventually we come to an area full of sand, water, and…. dogs! I could hardly believe my eyes, I’d never seen so many, it was like something out of a film.

What more could you ask for? Photo from here

Max and Maizy ran off leash, splashing in water, rolling in the sand, and making new friends; dogs and humans alike. I stood there and took it all in. “Wow” I thought. “I never thought I’d see something so beautiful.” Dogs as far as the eye can see. If heaven does exist, this is what it would look like.

It would be just over a month before I would visit McDonald Park again. Often I’d find myself thinking about it. I’d wonder how many people would be there as the weather got colder and the days began to shorten. When would I go back? Would I ever be able to find time with my busy schedule?

When things are important; you make the time. Especially if it involves dogs.

Fast forward to October 24th. My girlfriend and I have made plans to have a night in and watch a few movies. She drives to my place after work, all is going well until… “Oh shoot.” She says, smacking her head “I forgot to walk my dogs!” No big deal. I love spending time with the little furballs almost as much as I love spending time with her. “That’s fine, let’s head over and walk them.” I tell her. Suddenly she says it. The words I’d been waiting to hear for over a month: “Sure, how about we go to McDonald Park?”

Aw yeah!

Doing my best to contain my excitement I reply with a cool and casual “Sure, sounds good to me.”

The beach was not as packed as the last time we went, but it was just as beautiful. There was only handful of dogs this time and the chill coming from the water made me wish I had worn another pair of socks and brought a warmer jacket, but I still found it to be a peaceful and calm walk. There is something soothing about having almost an entire area to yourself. Looking out at the water and not feeling the urge the dive in but instead just to stare longer, take in a sense of serenity, and breath. It can be so easy to get caught up my creative pursuits, jobs, and schoolwork. Taking just a few minutes to relax on a cold, empty beach with some cute dogs and good company did a whole lot of good for me.

It’s so easy to forget to look after yourself. If my girlfriend hadn’t suggested going for a walk I might of just been inside all day, pounding away at my keyboard, trying to get some homework done. Maybe visiting a beach full of dogs meant I had bit more work to do the next day, but at least I was able to tackle it all with a clearer head. If you push yourself to the point of exhaustion, don’t take breaks, and try to force yourself through fatigue, you aren’t going to be doing your best work.

Take time to look around your neighbourhood; maybe there’s a cute cafe down the street you’ve been meaning to visit, or a nature trail around the corner only you know about. Find something you know will de-stress you, and use it to get away from the things that distress you. If you’re one of those people that are always freaking out about being productive think of it as refuelling yourself, allowing yourself to take an hour to just chill is going to help you bounce back even stronger.

I’ve pushed myself to the point of a mental breakdown over assignments before and all it’s ever done for me is get a 90% instead of an 88%. The stress and work it takes to over that two percent is not worth my sanity. I’m not saying you should slack off and try to coast. I’m only trying to point out that after a certain amount of studying and work you probably can’t score much higher. I’ll take a slightly lower grade while surrounded by furry friends on the sand, thank you very much.

Take my advice: Call a friend, grab a dog, a coffee, and some warm clothes and head down to McDonald Beach. What better way to get rid of some stress than meeting a few new canine companions? Promise yourself you’ll go back to stressing about BCIT afterwards and allow yourself to be free, even just for an hour.

See you there!