Dogs on the ride of life - dinky doxie Doodle surfs behind a ski boat (video)

Barbara Ayers July 27, 2017

I love my doxie wa wa Doodle.  Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org — I love my doxie wa wa Doodle. Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org

He's all doxie. All moxie.

He may be small, but let's not forget, his first name was Mighty. That was before we adopted each other at the animal shelter. He's been Doodle ever since.

Doodling here, and there - even behind a ski boat. Here, he scores a killer surf ride on the Colorado River, our first year together.

Yes, he had a wipeout - on another ride. No biggie. Water is fun. He's a doxie. wa wa, in more ways than one.

Here, our Surf Dog Diaries rover reporter takes me on the ride of life. I love my best friend dog!

www.DogDiary.org   photo: Barb Ayers — www.DogDiary.org photo: Barb Ayers

Waves of life. Wild women on the Oregon coast. Some, wilder than others.

Barbara Ayers October 8, 2016

Roar of the ocean

she looks angry

pounding her shore

wave after wave

crashing, smashing, no slowing down.

Why such a hurry

why not relax,

hang out on the deck and chillax

like me?

Pink tan sand

wet and juicy under foot – or would be, if I ever get up.

Seagulls hang nearby

calling, cawing,

looking for meals,

just rummaging around on shore

hunting for treasure

with nowhere to go.

Silhouettes, joggers in the distance

backlit at daybreak

daylight turns pink - just a hint - a shy little blush.

In the distance, heavy grey.

Up close, marine layer mystery.

Ocean, she keeps deep secrets,

line between air and sea barely visible, if any.

Is anyone lost at sea?

Sounds of ocean orchestra

symbols and drums

occasional soprano

mostly treble

she could be trouble

Mother Ocean.

She’s not the shy little thing that is lazy and warm

definitely not here on the Oregon Coast

with cold, crashing waves

grey, moody skies,

shipwreck city.

And those birds, they look lazy on shore

like casual beach goers

but I know the truth,

they’re always on guard.

I’ll stay warm in my blanky,

tightly wrapped, swaddling clothes

on the recliner

at ocean overlook

early fall morn.

Think I’ll wait to see her in person,

to feel her person

think I’ll just sit here and watch,

feel her spray

from the safety of warm and dry.

Hear her roar, feel it inside.

Savor her smells,

the siren scent,

a most dangerous woman.

Feel her pulse,

I’ll try to get in sync

or anywhere closer than

girl in window, safe and lazy,

with a spectacular front row seat to roaring surf.

I’ll let those enterprising birds do all the work

until sun comes up and

cold, pounding ocean becomes warm sandy beach

and I can’t resist her call a moment more.

Hint of blue behind grey cloudy skies

will she bring joy

or more great grey mystery?

Think I’ll sit and watch ocean TV

and see what the wild woman decides.

By Barbara Ayers

Lincoln City, OR

Dude, DogDiary.org senior citizen reporter — **Dude,** *DogDiary.org* senior citizen reporter

About seeing. By Dude, the blind surf dog.

Barbara Ayers June 17, 2016

I could see for many years. But now that I'm blind, I see better than ever. Tips for better living. For people, of course. Dogs get it.

Advice for humans:

Take time to smell "the roses" (your words, not mine)... you know what I really mean.

1. Get right in there with your snout, and breath it in - deeply.

Life is Good - with smell. Oh yeeaaaahhhh.

Scent is the strongest of senses, triggering more emotions and memories than vision, hearing and touch. It sounds weird, but ask any dog - any day. Blind dogs in particular - we are scent hounds.

For navigation, I zeroed in on my seeing eye dog brother Elvis. In particular, his stinky basset butt. Who needs eyes when you've got that super charged GPS unit guiding your way?

Your human author friends know the importance of smell, too - they heard about it in writer's classes.

*Dude "no eyes, no problem" Ayers - apres SUP (standup paddle boarding) session*

2. More Heart. Less Head. (Humans, repeat after me....)

Don't worry about all that dumb stuff. You know, the irritating small stuff you obsess over? Note to people: almost everything you think about is dumb.

Let it go. Be free. This is the most important point.

Don't worry about how you look.

3. Jump all in. Give your whole heart. Don't hold back. If you have baggage, get over It.

Learn to trust.

Learn to give.

LOVE.

Me and my dog brothers are rescue dogs. We all had at least two moms before finding the third, the keeper. We wasted too much time worrying, running away and being bad dogs. Don't do that.

Listen. (Selective dog listening counts)

*That's me, in the middle, in a two dog jibe - a downwind turn on a windsurfer. In the Columbia River Gorge. At this point, I still had one working eye.*

4. Surfing is life. The ups and downs - they ARE the ride.

Without downs, the ups aren't up.

I was in a lot of pain - glaucoma. Not treatable in dogs like it is in humans. I lost one eye several years ago. A year later, the other one went to heaven. So then I was totally blind.

It didn't change a thing. I'm a surfer, through and through.

Step up to the nose, walk the board, adjust your weight.

Ride that wave. Strut your stuff.