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  • The ride of life with a dog
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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.

Doxie cam - Doodle surfs the streets - we love small town USA

Barbara Ayers April 27, 2019

Today is the NW Cherry Festival parade. Here’s a doxie- eye- view of small town America from a prior year. Cowabunga, dude!

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Tags Surf Dog Diaries, surf dogs, Doodle the doxie, dog person, dog friends, dog book, cute animal story, GoPro dog video, Gorge surf dog, Columbia River Gorge, Hood River OR, Historic Columbia River Highway, heartfelt story, I heart dogs, I love dogs, I love kids, dog lover, dog diary, www.dogdiary.org, Dogdiary.org, surf dog mom Barb Ayers, Barbara Ayers, doxie wawa, surfing doxie, doxie wa wa, basset hound, coping with pet loss, surf basset, Elvis the basset, Dog Beach, dog blog, The Dalles Chamber of Commerce, the ride of life with a dog, diaries by dogs, kids and dogs, Mosier OR, NW Cherry Festival

Little Dude - from rescue dog to surf star, to blind surf dog. My most amazing dog son of all.

Barbara Ayers August 19, 2017

Little Dude, my third surf dog son - went home two different years with top surf dog prizes at the Loews Coronado Surf Dog Contest. That was in 2007 and 2009, surfing in San Diego, California at Imperial Beach. Check out the action of cool dogs, including Dude, in this YouTube - Dude rides about 1:30 in:

Dude on board.jpg
Dude was the underdog of the family - Elvis, my alpha basset hound was first in the lineup for this contest- but he chickened out when he saw the storm surf that day. I don't blame him - it was awful weather and a challenging rip tide had us all worried about safety.
Dude proved that #2 tries harder. He stepped right up, and took it all in stride. He rode wild waves -  all the way to shore - with a remarkable laid-back style.

That was the day we dropped "Little" off of his name - from that day forward, he was the Dude.

He won awards for surfing waves by himself - and surfing tandem with me. But hey- we're not about winning - we're all about sharing the fun. Sharing the ride.
Dude and me at the Surf Dog Contest.    Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DOgDiary.org

Dude and me at the Surf Dog Contest.    Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DOgDiary.org

Years later, Dude went blind. And still he surfed.

He stepped right up - and took it all in stride. He taught me more than anyone else about overcoming adversity. About not letting setbacks hold you back. About riding the ups and downs - the waves of life.
Here he is, pup SUPping (standup paddle boarding) with his two dog brothers and I on the Columbia River. He also windsurfed blind. No biggie.
Dude lived aloha spirit, each and every day. He was always up for an adventure.
Dude lives forever in our hearts - he may well be my most amazing surf dog of all. RIP Dudester. We miss your heart, your snores and your laid back style!

Surf dog mom Barb Ayers

Tags Dude the dog, blind beagle, blind dog, surf dog contest, Loews Coronado Surf Dog Contest, Dog Beach in Ocean Beach, surfing dog, basset hound rescue, best friend dog, overcoming adversity, I love dogs, pirate surf dog, cute dog story, funny dog video, Barbara Ayers, surf dog mom Barb Ayers, dog blog, San Diego, Dog beach in Ocean Beach, Imperial beach surf dog, Petco Unleashed surf dog contest, surfing the ups and downs of life, surf basset

Just found on YouTube - 1990's national TV interview with my first surfing dog, Howdy - made my day!

Barbara Ayers August 11, 2017
Click on the picture above or CLICK HERE.
I just found this Animal Planet TV story on YouTube, from the early 1990's - my first dog son, Howdy Doody. Together we windsurfed, skurfed behind ski boats and surfed waves at our favorite beach, OB's Dog Beach in San Diego.
I miss my first bassador - basset/lab - Dog Beach ambassador. He is the dog that started it all - windsurfing was all his idea. Dude and later Doodle were named after the late great Howdy Doody.
Howdy was the first Windsurfing Dog I ever heard of, and the second surfing dog ever. Back then, we did a ton of national media interviews, trying to rally support for the Dog Beach Improvement Project.
There was a magazine spread in PetLife, stories in San Diego Union Tribune, Beach and Bay Press, local TV and all the major networks. What a rush! Special thanks to Ann, a San Diego TV viewer who also had a basset and recorded this story off air and posted it on her YouTube page! I just happened to find it while searching for windsurf videos...

 

Oh, look at that - it's the sweet, sappy happy/sad basset face of my Howdy. 

Makes me feel happy/sad and sappy  - a face from 25 years ago.
I'd forgotten what his bark sounded like, but I will never forget how he changed my life. Or Dog Beach.
I adopted him from San Diego Humane Society - I found our later, it would have been his last day on Earth. He'd been adopted and returned several times and was labelled an incorrigible pet.

There we were, at closing time on a Saturday night at the shelter - our eyes met across the room. You know the rest... I took him home!

I remember that he was afraid of cars at first. And he couldn't run away and leave me often enough. He really tested me. And together, we really grew. We ran away together, on a board.
Howdy later became my co-chair of the Dog Beach Committee of the Ocean Beach Town Council (OBTC.)
With our co chair Dave Martin, we managed the Dog Beach Improvement Project that completely renovated our favorite beach in the 1990's.  
Howdy, the incorrigible pet, became a pillar of the community. And he became my family, my son and my bff. The patriarch of our surf dog family that came along after he showed us how.

Howdy's name and mine - and all the others that gave back - are etched in bronze at the Dog Beach entryway:

Together with the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, Ocean Beach Town Council, and so many generous donors and dog-lovers, we fixed up Dog Beach over a decade, and dedicated it July 26, 2003.

We will always love OB, our old home town.

It is a magical place - one of the last true So Cal beach towns in the US.
Dog Beach is an icon of the community - people and pets travel there from all over the world- to romp and run in waves and sand, and surf - with their dog kids and a sea of dog lovers. Dogs here are leash free and proud. It is the first leash free beach in America.

Give back - however you can - it is why we are here - to leave the place better than we found it.

Sandy Claws - was our annual Christmas fundraiser at Dog Beach. Howdy and Santa rocked the surf!!  Photo (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org

Sandy Claws - was our annual Christmas fundraiser at Dog Beach. Howdy and Santa rocked the surf!!  Photo (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org

And let us celebrate the lives of those we have loved and lost.
They make us better people.

Surf dog mom Barb Ayers

 
Tags dog beach, dog mom Barb Ayers, dog diary, dog blog, I love dogs, best dog friend, Howdy the windsurfing dog, dog Howdy Doody, Barbara Ayers, Ocean Beach CA, Dog Beach in Ocean Beach, Ocean Beach Town Council, Dog Beach Improvement Project, community service, giving back, basset hound rescue, surfing dogs, surf dog diaries, surf basset, basset hound, Mission Bay San Diego, Animal Planet, cute dog video, rescue dogs, San Diego Humane Society
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Surf Dog Diaries.com

Featured
The smell of the river at sunrise will change your life
Jul 15, 2023
The smell of the river at sunrise will change your life
Jul 15, 2023

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
Celebrate your indy spirit on Independence Day with Doodle!
Jul 9, 2023
Celebrate your indy spirit on Independence Day with Doodle!
Jul 9, 2023
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Jul 9, 2023
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Jul 7, 2023
From Cat House to dog house. Cat takes over the dog blog (Part 4 - last in a series)
Jul 7, 2023

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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Jun 17, 2023
Cat takes over the dog blog (part 2)  Based on a true story. By me, elegant tabby cat.
Jun 10, 2023
Cat takes over the dog blog (part 2) Based on a true story. By me, elegant tabby cat.
Jun 10, 2023

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
2022 Gaslamp Xmas Pet parade.jpeg
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
OB Law license plate in the bookshelf-small.jpg
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