Well, we did it. Brody and I survived our first surfing competition. Let me start by saying I never would have dared even show my face there had I not known the local surf dog community previously. They're an accomplished bunch, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and setting world records and getting on Times Square billboards and the like. They are also really good surfers. Next to them, Brody and I with our handful of goes on the board and our lackluster ability, were total rubes. But ... Read more »
surf dog
Wordless Wednesday: Bonding
Can't complain about living in San Diego. :) ... Read more »
Surf and Spokes and Supers
Surf OK, so first things first- yes, we surfed in our first competition and no, we didn't win (the well deserved honors went to the always amazing Surf Dog Ricochet, as it should.) I will be posting about it when I get back later this week and I have the rest of the pictures. I always had a ton of respect for the So Cal Surf Dog group, but after seeing them in action in competition I love them all even more. As busy as everyone was with their own dogs, many of whom were in multiple heats, I saw ... Read more »
Surf Dog Take 2: NO ONE KILL THE POWER AGAIN OK?
A refresher, if you haven't memorized all the details of my life, and I hope you haven't: Last year, Brody was scheduled to surf in the Helen Woodward Surf Dog Surf-a-thon. We had lessons. We had a board. And, of course, we had Evan the Surf Instructor: Who is probably blissfully unaware of his cult status in the pet blogging world. But I digress. At the very same moment we were out practicing our wave technique, someone, somwhere, hit a button they weren't supposed to and some Very ... Read more »
The life of a doggy lifeguard
A few weeks ago, I got an email from Peter Noll, one of the local big kahunas in the surf dog scene. He got my name from none other than Judy Fridono, otherwise known as Surf Dog Ricochet's owner, and they were wondering if I might be interested in hanging out at the Purina Incredible Dog Surf Dog challenge last Friday just in case there was a dog in need of a veterinarian. And you know, I would have gone anyway just to watch, so this was icing on the cake since I got to go and tangentially feel ... Read more »
Happy World Oceans Day!
June 8th is World Oceans Day. How fantastic is that? I love the ocean. It's impossible to live in San Diego and not think about it on a regular basis. I run by it, glide over it in a kayak, fret about great whites coming to eat me in it, and yes, even go in it sometimes. I even got PADI certified in college when I was studying marine biology, but I didn't keep up with diving because, well, not a lot of good diving in Davis when I got to vet school. Fear of sharks aside, there is ... Read more »
Resolved: What’s yours?
This has been a banner couple of weeks for pet misbehavior. Brody really brought his A game this month. It's a miracle he didn't need some sort of ER visit, truly. Now, I know this is my fault for not making him tired enough. He's been off because of all the changes in his routine, and I've been travelling, sick, and doing all sorts of things that don't include giving him enough exercise, so that the smallest insults such as leaving the house for half an hour leave him with no choice except ... Read more »
Health is Wealth! (Well that, and vanity.)
Look what arrived at our front door this week! Even though we ended up having to be out of town for the Surf Dog competition, Eukanuba was fantastic enough to send Brody and I our very own surfboard. And what a board it is! It's not just any old surfboard, but one custom made for dog surfing competitions. By far the flyest piece of sporting equipment I own. Thank you, Eukanuba. It is spectacular. You know what this means, though, right? Now we have to use it. Ricochet, I know we'll be ... Read more »
Giveaway Tuesday: Eukanuba Splash Bag Survival Kit!
Congrats to the winner, Nubia R-B! As you all know, Brody and I are not going to be in the Surf Dog-A-Thon due to some scheduling conflicts. That is a sad thing. However, how can I be unhappy, really? We had so much fun getting ready for it. We practiced a healthy lifestyle. We bonded in the pool. And, well, we still got to surf and play at the beach. We had a fantastic week of mom-dog play and bonding, and at the end of the day that is what it is all about. I hope to make ... Read more »
Off the Grid: Surf Dog Kills It
Yesterday, Brody and I had our rescheduled surf lesson with Evan the Surf Instructor. It went great. Brody is a natural. His handler, on the other hand, needs a lot of practice. I had no idea how much work it was to push a dog into a wave. I would have had a fuller recap for you by today, but as you may have heard, some doofus in Yuma managed to power down the entire county of San Diego for the day. As we were leaving the beach, I remarked that there sure was a lot of traffic, even for 4 ... Read more »
Hang 20 Part 2: Pool Lessons
With our surf lesson postponed until today, I didn't want to waste this week doing no preparation at all with Brody. So we practiced getting acclimated to the board at home and in the pool. I'm not a surfer myself, so I got on the board to get a feel for the balance involved. It's quite a lot of work. With practice, I'm sure we'll both improve, but in the meantime, I got him to sit on it for a few minutes and that alone is pretty cool. Hope you like Part 2 of Hang 20! ... Read more »
Catch Me if You Can
So what do you do when the surf is too dangerous to practice your surf technique? Raise mayhem, of course. ... Read more »
Hang 20: Safety First
I am a competitive person. I am the first person to admit this. Although we are doing the Helen Woodward Surf Dog Surf a thon to have fun, there is admittedly some small part of me that is whispering, "But next year we're taking this thing." This year we are just trying to stay on the board for a full set. That being said, I'm not one to turn down a surf lesson, so on Sunday Brody and I headed down to the World's Best Dog Beach (aka Coronado) for our lesson with Evan the Surf Instructor. I ... Read more »
Surf’s Up Bro! The Hang 20 Surf Dog Experience Part 1
It's a new day, the sun is shining, and this blog is up and running! YES! I can't think of a happier way to celebrate than to talk about our participation in the upcoming Surf Dog Surf-a-thon on September 11th. As you know, Brody and I have given surfing a shot a couple of times, but it's been very casual. So when Eukanuba asked if we would be interested in being sponsored by them to participate, I said "Heck yes!" and then, "But only if you don't have any performance expectations." ... Read more »
Let’s Go Surfin Now
When I was eight years old, we moved from Massachusetts to San Clemente, California. If you don't know San Clemente, it is pretty much archetypal beach bum heaven. Perpetual sun, wide sandy beaches, and the smell of the salty ocean air at every turn. I hated it. Me, with my East Coast sensibility and hatred of the feeling of sand in between my toes, wanted nothing to do with the SoCal beach scene and couldn't wait to escape from lala land back to the land of autumn leaves, icy roads, and ... Read more »
Boards, bones and Brodes
It's Brody's First Birthday Week! I have some really cool stuff in store for you guys. Stay tuned! And to kick it off, I'm sharing the awesomeness that was the Loews Surf Dog Competition this weekend here in San Diego. There are few things in this universe more delightful to watch than a happy dog on a surfboard. It's cute, they are clearly having fun- I mean, who could possibly NOT like that? (Don't answer that.) I remember seeing the promotions for the 2009 competition last May, thinking ... Read more »
Picture of the week: Entourage
The ladies can't resist me. (must be read in a Barry White voice.) ... Read more »
Hang 20
Last Saturday, we packed up the whole crew and went to the beach so Brody could take a surfing lesson. I admit it was a bit of an ambitious plan considering I hadn't even taken him to the beach yet, but the opportunity presented itself and I found it irresistible. C'mon, we're talking about a dog named Brody- if ever there was a name fit for a surfer, that is it. The surf lesson was organized by the local Golden Retriever Meetup group, which is really active and puts on amazing events on a ... Read more »
