We all know man’s best friend loves to play catch. But did you know there’s a place our four-legged friends can go to catch a wave?
For the 8th year, Huntington Beach, Calif. will play host to the Surf City Surf Dogs event this upcoming weekend. Dog owners from Florida to Australia will compete in the worldwide event to see who the best human/pup surf team in the world is. And it’s glorious.
I have no idea how I never knew about this event before. But it makes me want a dog even more so than I already did. No matter how hard I’ll try, I’ll never be quite as cool as Bakio and Brian. The two came in second place in last year’s event and will be competing this weekend for the title yet again. And just like any pro surfer, they even have their own sponsor!
Brian obliged me to a quick interview to give me the nuts and bolts as to how this doggy surfing goes.
Who is your four legged surfing buddy?! What kind of dog is he?
His name is Sir Bakio Froth. “Sir”, because he is a true gentleman. “Bakio” because that is the name of the town where my wife’s family is from in the north of Spain. And “Froth” because we are on an eternal search of exciting adventures. He also goes by “The Guy” and “Good Boy.” He is half golden retriever and half golden lab. A handsome dude and my best friend!
How in the world did you find out he could surf? Had you seen this sort of thing before?
Bakio and I were both born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii. The beach is our favorite place to be. When The Guy was a puppy we spent a ton of time at the beach, playing in tide pools and getting comfortable in the ocean. Surfing was just a natural progression in our journey of froth. We met the Puppies Make Me Happy dudes when we moved to California. They sponsored us, and signed us up for the Surf City Surf Dogs contest at Huntington Beach. We are super pumped to have such a rad company supporting us!
I have a dog. I want to surf. How do you teach them? Can you give me dog surfing 101?
Your dog has to be comfortable with the water. Start with a big board and calm water. Use a ball or stick to get your buddy up on the board and just get comfortable. The board is the “safe” place where you both hang and rest. I would throw the ball and Good Boy would jump off and swim back to the board. Eventually, work your way into the surf. At the end of the day, if your dog isn’t having fun, stick with throwing the ball on the beach.
Dogs that love the water make the best surfers! There all kinds of breeds that enter the dog surf contest. Labs, pugs, heelers, and boxers are all out there shredding the surf and having fun!
How big of a wave can your canine handle? Are they great swimmers? Do they need doggy life jackets?
The Guy wears a life jacket when we surf. He is an excellent swimmer but having that extra floatation helps him stay on the surface. It is important to not put ourselves in dangerous positions. We are there to have fun and if it is too big we just party on the beach.
Ever had any scares?
Well, the scariest part of dog surfing is that we have to be outlaws to surf! Dogs are not allowed on the beach at LA County beaches, so the Guy and I have to dodge Johnny Law. We run across the beach, hit the water, and paddle out to the lineup where we are free to soak up the sun, swim and catch waves. When we are done we have to run the gauntlet back across the beach.
Is this a future sport? What’s the official name? Doggy surfing?
The sport seems to be growing. We see new events popping up all the time and a lot of people show up to support all the SurFurs!
Number one thing people need to know about Surf City Surf Dogs?
Go to PuppiesMakeMeHappy.com and pick up some rad gear. Come down to Huntington Beach for the Surf City Surf Dog event on Sunday, Sept. 25! Our heat starts at 1pm! Follow us on Instagram @sirbakiofroth and follow @puppiesmakemehappy !!!
Josh Helmuth is the editor of Crave Sports.
