SURF DOGS HAVING A SWELL TIME
WHEN the surf is ruff, then it’s time for man’s best friend to hit the waves.
Dog surfing might have begun as a novelty that dog owners used for a bit of a recreation – and a laugh – but has now become so popular, and organised, that championship events are held around the US every year.
More than 70 canines, big and small, and some in tandem braved the large swell – of about 1m – that greeted them during the ninth annual Surf City Surf Dog event at Huntington Beach, California this week.
This is one of the iconic events on the dog surfing calendar at Surf City in the US.
And, of course, it takes an Aussie pooch to show those US hounds a thing or two. Abbie, a black-and-tan Australian kelpie cross, was the longest competing surfing dog in the crowd, marking her 10th year of riding waves.
She just won a dog surfing world championship in San Francisco.
Her owner Michael Uy said Abbie was a rescue dog who he would take to the beach to rehab when he first got her. One day, the dog followed Uy out into the water while he swam, and soon he put her on a surfboard and she instantly stood up.
The Surf City Surf Dog event is in its ninth year.
It serves as a charity fundraiser for several canine non-profits.