"Hanging 10 with man's best friend", reads the motto of the World Dog Surfing Championships, an annual event that sees dozens of plucky pooches test their mettle against the waves. Preceded by a 'pet wellness fair' and followed by an après-surf 'yappy hour', the free one-day competition in Pacifica, California sees entrants and their owners judged on a number of factors, including length of ride, technique and strength of wave. These are our favorite four-legged friends from last year's festivities.
Dressed for skiing as much as for surfing, this goggled-up pup took home no fewer than three shiny new medals for the mantelpiece. Dubbed "the coolest doggo of all time" by Sports Illustrated (at least according to her Instagram page), former rescue dog Faith finished runner-up in the Top Dog category after a commanding victory in the Large/XL heat.
Faith's second gold came courtesy of the Dog/Dog Tandem category, where she paired with red miniature pincher Rusty. Part-dog, part-jaguar, Rusty intimidated the opposition with big cat patterning and a fetching sea monster outfit.
Rusty ditched the dino suit for this green-and-yellow number during the solo contest. Here he is looking slightly forlorn, about to be overtaken by the swell. Doggy paddle coming up.
You could be forgiven for thinking that this blue-dyed doodle was into surfing for the image, but Derby is as serious about winning as he is about wearing tinted sunglasses.
They say dogs tend to look like their owners, and it's easy to see where Derby gets his surfing chops. Owner Kentucky joined him on the board to scoop second prize in the Human/Dog Tandem category.
There's no 'I' in team, but there is in 'surfing', and one of these dogs is putting in a lot more effort than the other. Derby and Teddy teamed up to bag a bronze medal in the Dog/Dog Tandem category, Derby's second podium of the contest. We're not sure Teddy knew much about it…
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Don't be fooled by the hangdog expression or the flame-flecked life jacket – Delilah is a seasoned competitor who's seen several World Dog Surfing Championships come and go. This year the fabulously floppy-eared spaniel secured second place in the Small Dog category, narrowly beating long-time practice partner Samson, who came third.
We're surprised Large/XL Dog category silver medallist and all-round good boy Charlie can concentrate on the contest with that camera surreptitiously strapped to the front of his board. Eyes on the waves, Charlie.
A plucky French bulldog who "shreds and loves to catch gnarly waves", Cherie has mastered the technique of staying low on her board and was a second place finisher in the Medium Dog category.
Nicknamed Rippin' Rosie, this up-and-comer has already surfed several contests at barely a year-and-a-half old, and was comfortably cresting waves before her first birthday. Cute even by canine standards, Rosie didn't win any individual medals, but she absolutely hogged the photographers.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog, and orange-jacketed Carson is the undoubted leader of this crew, having finished third in the overall Top Dog ranking. There was no three-dog category, so we can only assume this ride was just for fun.
Small dog, giant board; apparently no problem. The equivalent of a human surfing on a king-size mattress, Iza made the mismatch work to claim bronze in the Medium Dog category, after learning to love water in her owner's garden pool.
Crowned Top Dog for the World Dog Surfing Championships 2022, this wolfish canine needed all her cunning to outperform every other surf dog on the sea. With one eye sparkling blue and the other a rich brown, Skyler is a regular on the dog surfing circuit, and her upright posture bagged her consistently high marks for technique.
Two giants of the sport together on one board – Skyler and Large/XL category bronze medallist Rothstein joined forces to power onto the podium in the Dog/Dog Tandem category. Jockeying for prime position on the board, this dynamic duo have clearly learned to surf, but have they learned to share?
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