Your Dog Only Has Twelve Good Summers – Bring Them With You

If you're on social media, there's a good chance you've seen the popular video going around about your dog only having twelve good summers. But if you have no idea what in the world I'm talking about, I've embedded the original video below.

Dog parents: Brace yourself for all of the feels.

I will the first to admit that when it comes to my dog, I am so clingy. I love bringing her with me pretty much everywhere I go. And ever since we adopted her back in December, she has basically become the center of my entire life (sometimes, to the chagrin of the folks around me 😬).

But what can I say? Although she drives me to the brink of insanity no less than twice a week, I fucking love my dog. And I am not sorry for it.

In the grand scheme of things, I know our time together is super limited – which is why I want her with me, experiencing things, as much as possible.

So this summer, we're bringing our dog with us on three beach trips.

This past May, we spent a week down in sunny Panama City Beach, Florida. It was a grueling sixteen hours of driving (each way!!), but the beaches were some of the prettiest I've ever seen.

And the trip was made even better because we had our dog with us. Although she spent a good chunk of the days napping in the air conditioning while we fried in the sun, she got to experience the beach for herself a little bit, too.

While she wasn't too sure of the ocean (i.e. it scared the living daylights out of her), she had a blast frolicking around in the sand (and trying to eat as much as she could while we continuously told her to, "Leave it!").

Then a few weeks later, she joined us for our second beach trip of the summer: a day trip to the North Carolina coast for the 4th of July. Like our trip to Panama City Beach, our girl was not a fan of the water – but she once again had the time of her life playing in the sand.

(Which made a huge mess in the car...)

In a few weeks, we're headed to the Outer Banks to celebrate my 32nd birthday and enjoy our final beach trip of the summer. And of course, our dog is tagging along – how in the world could I celebrate my birthday without her goofy self there???

I fully acknowledge that bringing a dog with us on beach trips – especially a puppy – is more of a pain in the ass than anything.

As much as I love my dog, I'm fully aware that having our four-legged family member tag along on beach trips really limits what we can do. 

We're mostly limited to outdoor activities (which I'll admit is fine by me, although the heat is sometimes pretty unbearable), and I spend most meals out dicking around with her leash under the table, untangling it over and over again as she weaves between our feet, urging her in frustrated whispers to "just sit the fuck down and stop fucking begging."

In the mornings, we spend our walks engaged in constant battle, as she sniffs out lizards and pulls (with all of her weight) toward them, while I try to yank her away. 

And when we have to leave her behind at the Airbnb to partake in the occasional dog-unfriendly activity, I'm so pressed to get back and check on her that I'm only half-present.

But despite the limitations, restrictions, and challenges posed by bringing a dog on beach vacations, I'd much rather her be present and making my life ten times more challenging over the alternative leaving her at home for a week.

My advice? Your dog only has twelve good summers, so bring your pup along with you. 

Years and years from now, once our sweet girl is gone (which I can't even think about right now 😭), I know I won't regret the inconveniences posed by bringing her along. In fact, I'll be so happy I have those memories to think back on.

In the moment – sure – her disagreeableness might annoy the ever-living crap out of me. When she's chasing that lizard or blatantly ignoring every single obedience command I know she knows, there are instances where I think to myself , "Ugh, why did I bring her with us??"

But when I think back on the beach trips we've already taken her on, I don't regret bringing her for a second. 

So if you're a dog mom or dog dad,  here's my advice to you. When possible, bring your dog with you. Because although there will surely be moments where you think to yourself, "Why the hell did we bring him/her," I promise: You won't regret bringing your doggo along. 

Not in the long run.

So like the video says, give your dog the best twelve summers you can. Bring them to the beach with you, bring them on vacation with you. Let them annoy you, and let them love being with you.

After all, you are their person – and these are the only twelve summers they'll get. 🫶🏼

So make them count, and make them memorable – because one day, these memories are all you'll have left. 

And now, if you're ready to start planning your next (or first!) dog-friendly beach vacation, head on over to Bring Fido. Their Dog-Friendly Beach Search Tool will tell you everything you need to know about your future beach destination!