‘Mighty SurFurs’ ride massive wave

–Dogs big and small, and some in tandem with their owners, braved a large swell that greeted them at a surfing competition with a difference in California on Sunday.

Some dogs bailed off their boards in spectacular wipeouts, as waves pounded the shore.

But that didn’t prevent many of the pups from wagging their tails at the Surf City Surf Dog event in Huntington Beach.

Dogs and their owners came from as far as Florida, Australia and Brazil for the eighth edition of the annual event in aid of animal charities.

The rides were the last and most popular phase of the three-day event that started on Friday.

Canine and human competitors had 12 minutes to catch their Topfive waves, with judges evaluating their confidence, length of ride and ability to ride the wave.

“We got some small, but mighty SurFurs out there,” organisers said on Facebook.

The winner of the dog-only Shredder division was Bono, a Labrador owned by Ivan Moreira of Brazil. – AFP