It?s always seemed to me like the perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday morning: taking your pet dog out to the beach for a run along the sands and a brisk splash in the sea.

I?ve spent many an hour ? both in Bermuda and at home, back in the Northeast of England ? watching jealously as lucky pet owners throw frisbees for their pooches and enjoy the kind of seriously daft fun that only dogs can provide.

But much as I?d love my very own Jack Russell or Border Terrier (or come to that, just any scruffy little unwanted mutt) I?m realistic enough to know that I shouldn?t get one.

I have a small apartment which I spend most of the day (and quite a few evenings) out of. My busy lifestyle simply isn?t conducive to having a pet.

So what could I do? I?d resigned myself to a lifetime of longing for a canine companion until a friend suggested dog walking. Not the professional, paid sort, where rich dog owners cough up to have beloved Fido or Fifi strolled around the block.

Rather, this would be totally voluntary ? taking out animals who simply don?t have anyone else.

A quick call to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) confirmed that volunteer dog walkers are always needed in Bermuda.

The SPCA runs a rescue shelter in Valley Road, Paget, which houses about ten dogs, among other animals.

Some of the dogs have been brought in by owners who are leaving the Island or can no longer look after them. Others have been seized from their homes by wardens or SPCA inspectors because they are not being properly cared for.

All the dogs need walking at least once a day but the centre has a limited number of staff and a big workload.

Shelter manager Theresa Ince says that the centre is almost always full to capacity. ?We can always use volunteers,? she says. ?And we particularly need walkers mid-week. Most people work Monday to Friday so on the weekends we are mostly OK, but we?d never turn anyone away who wanted to help. Even if it?s as little as an hour a week, that?s fine.

?If we have a lot of walkers it means we can take one dog for a nice long walk as opposed to getting three or four out for short walks.?

Having never owned a dog myself, I was slightly concerned that I would not have what it takes to help out. Theresa is reassuring: ?Volunteers don?t need any experience,? she says. ?We?ll get them started and start them off with an easy dog. We try to give people as much information as we can about the animal. If we have a concern about a dog, we?ll only have them walked by an experience dog walker.?

Anyone still a little worried can attend the centre?s Saturday morning obedience classes ? at 11a.m. ? for practical help on keeping the dogs in check.

Duly encouraged, I set my alarm for bright and early the following Saturday and arrange to meet a friend Liz (another dog lover with limited space and time) at the shelter.

Theresa looks askance at my inappropriate attire ? a long, flowered skirt ? but I persuade her I really don?t mind getting it dirty. Still, next time, I think I?ll wear old jeans.

We are tasked with walking Latch and Sassy ? sometimes inadvertently referred to as Lassy and Satch ? an inseparable pair who came to the shelter when their owner could no longer keep them.

They have been there since last November and are proving difficult to re-home together. Theresa says staff are loathe to let them go separately, as Latch, a surprisingly docile pit-bull cross, would pine too much for his female playmate, a black collie-cross.

Theresa tells us that the pair, dressed in adorable matching red and black scarves, are ?lovely, lovely dogs?. She is right.

Liz and I spent the next two hours disentangling them from their leads ? the dogs have to stay on a leash at all times ? and from one another, but they never even let out a whimper, never mind a bark.

We take them to Grape Bay, where the sun makes a miraculously hot mid-February appearance. And finally, I?m living the dream! It probably sounds silly to seasoned dog owners who get fed up with the tireless routine of daily walks but it?s a real shot in the arm for me.

The pleasure to be had in a dog?s company ? even a dog you?ve only just met ? is immeasurable. As the animals dash in and out of the waves (Sassy the far more confident of the pair), kick dirt over our feet (and my skirt) and lick one another?s faces, it?s impossible not to smile.

We tire them out ? and ourselves ? by running along the length of the beach and then head back to the shelter. Along the way, we mistakenly head on to private property and are roughly rebuked by two extremely loud Labradors guarding a plush beach residence.

Sassy and Latch don?t miss a beat. The well-trained pair keep their heads down and set off in the opposite direction. Crisis averted, we pledge to take more notice of the signs next time.

Back at the centre, the pair gulp water and enjoy a biscuit or two (volunteers are welcome to bring in tasty treats). They collapse in the office, seemingly exhausted, but manage to raise their heads for a final stroke goodbye.

Theresa desperately hopes Sassy and Latch get re-homed soon, even though she has grown extremely fond of them.

?Sassy and Latch I love,? she says. ?I have dogs of my own and I couldn?t take any more but if I could I would take these two. Still, I?m never sorry to see them adopted. We always say a lot of dogs are better off here than where they came from.

?We actually see dogs improve being here. But nothing replaces a loving family home.?

In an ideal world, Liz or I would be able to give Sassy or Latch or any of the other unwanted dogs a place to live. As it is, we?ll have to make do with giving our time instead ? and reaping the benefits.

Volunteer dog walkers do not need to make an appointment in advance. Simply turn up at the centre anytime from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sunday. Call 236-7333 for more information. To make a donation send a cheque made payable to the SPCA to PO Box WK94, Warwick WKBX.