Yahooooo! Surf dog summers are here!
Dear Dog Diary readers:
Windsurfing is our first passion as surf dogs. My three dogs sons, Elvis, Dude and Doodle, windsurf with me in the Columbia River Gorge. The ride of life is so much more fun, shared.
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.
This YouTube shows our surf dog family two summers ago. We lost the basset brothers to old age last year, but their souls live on as Doodle and I windsurf and SUP today.
The Gorge is called the windsurfing capital because of 20-30 mph hour (a.k.a. nuking) 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.
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.They fall off occasionally, but not often - because they are super-low riders with awesome low center of gravity short dog balance. Who knew that basset hounds and doxies are natural born surfers? They don't look athletic - but all of this was their idea.
My dog kids and I started windsurfing on Mission Bay in San Diego 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 decades, 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 - 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 Surf Dog Diaries readers. You ride on board with us.
Thank you for being here. We'd love to hear about your own ride of life with a dog.
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 here.
Howdy, Elvis and Dude - we miss you and love you. Your surf dog legend lives on - in all of us surf dogs and dog people, here in our dinky dog town - and all around the world.
Surf dog mom Barb Ayers