Our Story

It started with Buddy.

Buddy was a Boston Terrier who lived for two things — Huntington Beach and making everyone around him smile. He'd hit the sand like he owned it, ears back, paws flying, pure joy. He passed in 2018, but he left something behind — the spark that became The Swell Dogs.

The Lineup

Every character in The Swell Dogs universe is artist-curated — one breed, one board, one personality. The Boston Terrier. The Chihuahua. The Corgi. The Dachshund. The French Bulldog. The German Shepherd. The Golden Retriever. The Great Dane. The Shiba Inu. Nine originals and counting — because the beach is big enough for every breed.

From Black and White to Color

The Swell Dogs started in black and white — bold, clean line art on black, white, and gray, like the classic surf photos we grew up on.

Then Buddy got his own story. In our children's book, Buddy and the Color in the Waves, the dogs live in a black-and-white beach town until one good deed lets the color inside them shine through.

Our art follows the same wave: the original black-and-white designs, and full-color designs of the crew after the color comes in. Pick your side of the story — or ride both.

Born in Huntington Beach.

This brand was born at the water's edge — at Dog Beach, at the Pier, in the salt air that smells like home. Because Buddy deserved the beach. They all do.

The Swell Dogs. For the dog-obsessed. For the beach-obsessed. For Buddy. 🤙🐾