Sorbet at the beach, a disaster and a success

We finally drove down to Rayong for a day trip last Sunday. Sorbet is 9 and a half now and I was worried about her, because she is a French bulldog and the heat is not kind to flat faces. Her breathing gets loud after 10 minutes of walking. So I planned everything around that, leaving the house at 6 in the morning and going home before lunch. The first hour was a disaster. The sand is very hot even at seven o'clock, and she stood on the towel and refused to move, just looked at me like I betrayed her. I had to carry her to the water. She put one paw in the sea, made a face like the water was boiling, and then sat in the shallow part for twenty minutes, perfectly happy. People on the beach were taking photos of her. A few kids came and asked if she was a pig. We laughed. Kobe the rabbit stayed home with my sister, who sent me pictures all day of Kobe eating the sofa cushion. Not sure which of them had the better day. What helped most was the cooling vest I bought before the trip. It is a thin wet vest that you put in the freezer, then wrap around the chest. Sorbet slept in the car with it on and did not even twitch. I also carried a small spray bottle and gave her water every 15 minutes. The vet had told me to do that, she said French bulldogs overheat very fast and sometimes you do not see the signs until it is too late. On the way home she sat in my lap with her head on the door and drooled on my shorts. I did not mind at all. I think she had the best day of the year, honestly, and she slept for the whole afternoon with her tongue out. Next time maybe we will try the cooler season in December, but I am not sure she will let us go again without a fight.