Thousands of fans packed the World Dog Surfing Championships in Pacifica, California, where plucky lifejacket-clad pups were judged on wave rides and tricks
Thousands of fans packed out Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, California, on Saturday (August 1), to watch pups battle it out on the waves in the 10th annual World Dog Surfing Championships.
The feel-good event – held just south of San Francisco and organised by TasteTV – saw dozens of dogs in custom life jackets launched into the surf by their human handlers.
They competed across weight divisions and in crowd-pleasing tandem heats where multiple dogs share one board, plus human-and-dog team runs.
Judges scored the canine surfers on the length of their ride, the size of the wave, their confidence and posture, balance and stability, and any extra tricks; like riding backwards or switching between standing and all fours.
There were big winners across the board. A Miniature Pinscher named Bradley Cooper took first place in the small dog category, a pup called Iza won the medium division, and social-media star Rippin’ Rosie claimed the large/extra-large title – also starring on SUP (stand-up paddleboard) runs.
But while the championships went ahead safely despite local coastal advisories for rip currents, the sea turned rougher as the day wore on, ABC7 Bay Area reported.
With choppy water building in the afternoon, organisers cut the event short and cancelled the final “surf-off” showdown between the category winners.
Because the grand finale couldn’t be held, the Overall Spirit of Dog Surfing Championship was awarded jointly to Rosie, Iza and Bradley Cooper. Away from the waves, the championships also hosted a “Surf Dog Village” with adoption drives and fundraising, with part of the proceeds going to local animal welfare and environmental charities, the Mercury News reported.
The sport has even hooked first-timers into lifelong wave-chasing. Sophia Sadlowski, from Huntington Beach, California, said she first put her Miniature Pinscher Rusty on her surfboard just to snap cute pictures when he was a puppy.
She told AP News: “And then … he didn’t want to get off. I walk over to the beach, and I put him on a wave, and he surfed it.”
Sadlowski added: “He was four months old, and he took third place. So we’ve been surfing since.
“We got hooked.”
In other dog news, the number of breeds banned in the UK could see a significantly increase.
Experts are advocating for a staggering 67 more dog breeds to join the banned list, due to these breeds “suffering due to selective breeding for appearance”. The list includes pugs, chihuahuas, and Great Danes, the Daily Star previously reported.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.