Teacup Chihuahua Bing Bang has been learning to surf since he was four months old.
Four years ago, Ocean Beach resident Naomi Masiello bought a $ 20 kiddie pool from Walmart, filled it with water, and placed Bing Bang on a boogie board in the middle to teach him balance. He’s been surfing ever since.
On Sunday September 12th, he was one of 40 dogs to compete in the Surf Dog Surf-a-Thon competition on Del Mar Beach. She said he did well and that he only fell off the board three times in his 10 minute competition time.
“It’s the best way to enjoy the beach with your dog,” said Masiello.
Helen Woodward Animal Center, a non-killing animal rescue in Rancho Santa Fe, has hosted the Surf-a-Thon fundraiser for 16 years. That year, the shelter raised around $ 14,000.
More than 300 people crowded around Del Mar Beach on a sunny day with no clouds in the sky, a cool breeze that softened the heat and the glassy ocean waters glistened in the sunlight.
The judges rated the dogs on a number of criteria including the length of their ride, the size of the wave, whether they stood on all four legs, whether they rode an unbroken clean wave, self-confidence – and their smile.
This is how surfing worked: Each dog had a small team to guide surfing. A team member swam or waded out and pushed the surfboard with the dog above into a wave. Another team member retrieved the dog after the dog stopped the wave or fell into the water.
In one part of the competition, people rode surfboards with their dogs.
Some dogs just stood on the board and supported themselves. Some surfed backwards and some savvy tricks.
The crowd cheered when Bamboo, a 7-year-old “double doodle” – a mix of Goldendoodle and Labradoodle – his surfer riding the same board simultaneously caught Frisbees thrown by another team member while riding a wave .
Pam Lucado, an Orange County resident who has been training dogs for surfing competitions since 2008, said the trick was three years in development, and she and her team practiced it with bamboo for at least a year.
Lucado said dog surfing is a great sport because the dogs have just as much fun as their owners.
She said she advocates that others do more activities with their dogs instead of just having a dog in the back yard.
“You’ll be surprised at what they volunteer to do,” Lucado said.
Dan Nykolayko drove his French bulldog Cherie down from Newport Beach to take part in the competition.
The water was a bit choppy and the waves didn’t have the strength, he said, but he’s glad Cherie had two long waves left.
He said one of the keys to dog surfing is wave selection and choosing the right wave that will be long and smooth.
He said Cherie has been surfing for eight years. She started taking surf lessons at the Helen Woodward Center.
“It brought Cherie and me together,” he said. “It’s a bit of a bonding experience.”
In the end, one of the dogs from the “extra small” category – Petey, a West Highland White Terrier – was crowned the winner. That year he took part in Surf-a-Thon for the first time, but he’s been surfing since he was eight months old, according to the organizers.
– Kristen Taketa is a reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune
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