• Surf Dog Diaries - dog blog
  • The ride of life with a dog
  • HANG 20 - DOG BEACH, CA
  • HANG 20 - DOG RIVER, OR
  • ABOUT US
  • BarbAyers.com
  • GIVING BACK
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Dog Diary

The ride of life with a dog
  • Surf Dog Diaries - dog blog
  • The ride of life with a dog
  • HANG 20 - DOG BEACH, CA
  • HANG 20 - DOG RIVER, OR
  • ABOUT US
  • BarbAyers.com
  • GIVING BACK
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Dogs ride the ups and downs with us. Real life Surf Dog Diaries

Meet writer dogs. Rider dogs. Best dog friends. Surf the couch, the www, or a wave. Wave back at us!

It's all about the ride. The ride of life with a dog.

I love my dog. You do, too. Together, we go - surf dog summers are here!

Barbara Ayers July 29, 2021

Awww, that big ‘ol happy/sad sweet boy basset face.

It always makes me smile.

My dearly departed Elvis. King of the beach. If you went, he went.

I have to-go dogs. You probably do, too.

Grocery stores - beaches - airplanes - cab over campers - a tent on the beach.

Whether you’re an outdoors woman or dude, you have a built-in partner along the way. Along with your human partners and human kids!

Windsurfing is our first passion as Ayers family surf dogs.

My three dogs sons, Elvis, Dude and Doodle, windsurf with me in the Columbia River Gorge. Now, it’s just Doodle and I. Here’s the crew…

We are small town dogs. We live in a gorgeous national scenic area. We sail and SUP (standup paddle board) in the Gorge and Hood River, Oregon - the windsurfing capital of the world.

Here’s a YouTube of our surf dog family a couple of summers ago.

We miss the basset brothers, but their souls live on with doxie Doodle and I today.

The Gorge is the windsurfing capital of the world - kite surfers, downwind paddlers - they all live here.

We love nukin’ 20-30 mph hour winds. And currents that crank up river swell that you ride like like waves on the ocean. Expert windsurfers and kite surfers from all over the world are drawn here for endless Gorge summers.

Together, we are a pack of global surf dogs. Whether you’re gnarly or not, we all ride together on the water - and the beach.

Dude and Elvis windsurf with me at Hood River Event Site - this was before we adopted Doodle. Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org

I am all about keeping it safe and fun for my kids - that's what moms do.  

They always wear doggie life vests and leashes, and I only take them out on light wind days.

Yes, they fall off occasionally, but not often - because they are super-low riders with awesome low center of gravity. Short dog complex. In a good way!

Who knew that basset hounds and doxies are natural born surfers? They don't look athletic - but here they are - and all of this was their idea.

My dog kids and I started windsurfing on Mission Bay in San Diego

It’s where Elvis, Dude, my first surf dog Howdy Doody and I grew up.

We lived at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach, CA where we surfed ocean waves and rode surfboards behind ski boats.

After moving to Oregon, we cut back on ocean time but gained epic windsurfing waves and SUP conditions.

My first surf dog Howdy Doody, windsurfed and surfed with me in San Diego - at OB's Dog Beach and on Mission Bay (pictured here.) Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org

After living in both states for years, I can say from experience that California does not have endless summers - Oregon does.

Here in the Columbia Gorge, we don't have that morning marine layer (a.k.a. fog.) We have endless sunshine from 6am to 11pm - and nukin’ winds.

Endless evergreen forests, trails that disappear into the Mount Hood wilderness. Secret lakes. Secret beaches.

Dog River, Dog Mountain and Dog Creek.

Sunrise that take your breath away. Sunsets, over the layers of cliffs and mountains and glisteny Columbia River.

Now THAT’S an endless summer day…

Elvis n Dude like to windsurf! And camp! Like me and all the other human and canine surf dogs we know. Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org

THANK YOU for being here, on board with us.

We'd love to hear about your own ride of life. Send pix!

Our email and social media links are on those colorful buttons on the top right of this page.

We'd love to share your story. Or just connect.

But back to Elvis and Dude, and Howdy Doody...

Think about your old bff, your best dog friend, who was there for you, every step of the way.

If you’re a boomer like me, you’re on your 4th generation dog, since moving out on your own. That doesn’t even count your family dogs when you were just a pup yourself.

Those we have loved and lost - live forever in our soul.

Surfing the ups and downs of life - together.

The ride of life with a dog.

Amen to that.

Barb ‘n Doodle Ayers

Tags surf dog diaries, dog diary, dog blog, dog friends, Barb Ayers, Barbara Ayers, I love my dog, Hood River OR, Columbia River Gorge, windsurfing dog, Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Assn., Dog Beach in Ocean Beach, dog book, dog river, day in the life of, dogs are family, dogs and friends, small town dog, watersports, San Diego, Mission Bay, writer dog, rescue dogs, Oregon, basset hound, doxie wa wa, chiweenie, memoir diary, cute dog video, GoPro dog video, dog days of summer, I love dogs, basset hound rescue
← Boomers - remember the Flying Nun? Doxie Doodle's ear flapping windsurf ride. (Surf board GoPro video)O.B. Law - throwback to another surf dog place and time →

Surf Dog Diaries.com

Featured
The smell of the river at sunrise will change your life
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The smell of the river at sunrise will change your life
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Dogs and people on the river. At dusk, coyote swims by as you zig jag turns through river glass, reflecting earth and man and sky. River bamboo swallows your wake - as if nothing ever happened.

Secret spot. Shhh! Don't tell....

 

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Jul 15, 2023
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Celebrate your indy spirit on Independence Day with Doodle!
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So there I was, living at Cat House, surrounded by 25 felines of every size, sense and sensibility. Waiting to be rescued. Elvis stopped by. In 13 seconds, my life forever changed. I was picked out - picked up - by the basset alpha of Surf Dog Diaries. In no time, I was in the car in a box, on my way to my new home with my new surf dog family.

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Jul 7, 2023
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Jun 24, 2023
I met Elvis at Cat House and he took me home. Based on a true story.
Jun 24, 2023
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Jun 24, 2023
Doxie Doodle's ear flapping windsurf ride. (GoPro video)
Jun 17, 2023
Doxie Doodle's ear flapping windsurf ride. (GoPro video)
Jun 17, 2023
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Cat takes over the dog blog (part 2)  Based on a true story. By me, elegant tabby cat.
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Dear Dog Diary - In the Beginning - 1991… I remember the day She first picked me up. It was in the Cattery at the jail with all those other kitties.

Actually, it wasn’t bad, it was San Diego Humane Society – but it was still jail. That place in between. For homeless kitties.

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Jun 10, 2023
The secret surf dog handshake! Our new rescue pup steps on board!
May 29, 2023
The secret surf dog handshake! Our new rescue pup steps on board!
May 29, 2023

A new rescue pup, a chiweenie, adopts us on Mother's Day.. He mastered a surf board faster than all four generations of low rider rescue dogs before him.

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May 29, 2023
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May 12, 2023
Mod Squad of cat’s 'n dogs - based on a true story. By the tabby cat. (Cat takes over the dog blog, part 1)
May 12, 2023

Elvis, the big ol’ droopy eyed saggy basset hound, swayed around the house, scraping against the walls of the dinky beach cottage. Walking for any length of time ate up his one-big-energy-surge-of-the-whole-day, and he used it to find just the right spot in the sun to plop down for his daily nap. I guess if I carried 70 pounds and a massive square head with neck flaps bearing down on two inch legs, I’d be a super mellow stoner dude too. 

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May 12, 2023
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Jan 12, 2023
Christmas spirit is inside us - every day - we crazy dog people!
Jan 12, 2023
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Jan 12, 2023
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Mar 13, 2022
Dear Grandpa, I love you - from your grand dog.
Mar 13, 2022
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Mar 13, 2022
Boomers - remember the Flying Nun? Doxie Doodle's ear flapping windsurf ride. (Surf board GoPro video)
Aug 20, 2021
Boomers - remember the Flying Nun? Doxie Doodle's ear flapping windsurf ride. (Surf board GoPro video)
Aug 20, 2021
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Aug 20, 2021
I love my dog. You do, too. Together, we go - surf dog summers are here!
Jul 29, 2021
I love my dog. You do, too. Together, we go - surf dog summers are here!
Jul 29, 2021

Windsurfing is our first passion as surf dogs. We love to sail the Columbia River, right in our Oregon front yard.  My three dogs sons - Elvis, Dude and Doodle sail with me in Hood River, Oregon, the windsurfing capital of the world.

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Jul 29, 2021
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Apr 24, 2021
O.B. Law - throwback to another surf dog place and time
Apr 24, 2021
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Apr 24, 2021
Mar 28, 2021
First day of spring. In spite of COVID.
Mar 28, 2021
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Mar 28, 2021
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Feb 14, 2021
Hi, my name is snow. Remember me? Snowmeggadon, in words and pictures
Feb 14, 2021
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Feb 14, 2021
Feb 7, 2021
Snow dog day - Snowmeggadon in Oregon's front yard 2017
Feb 7, 2021

Snow day in the Columbia River Gorge - a DogDiary photo essay

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Feb 7, 2021

Surf Dog Diaries  |  Barb Ayers, San Diego, CA and Mosier OR.  |   All content and images (c) Barb Ayers, copyrighted, all rights reserved