I was just out on my own for an evening walk along the local beach. The sun was setting. It was a beautiful warm evening. And even though the breeze had sprung up I was still contemplating one of those ‘end-of-summer’ swims. I noticed a dog in in the distance sitting strangely aloof on the beach. I presumed its owner was somewhere nearby. As I got closer the dog turned towards me and looked me in the eyes as I walked past.