Last Saturday, August 1st, at Imperial Beach in San Diego, California, the 2015 Unleashed by Petco Surf Dog Competition took place. Matt Determan was the event’s commentator. Golden Pleasure to be invited and cover this pawsome event.
It was the most adorable surfing event I’ve watched. 45 dogs of all breeds and sizes hit the wave and hang ten on their surfboards. Each of these surf dogs had their own signature style but have three things in common; fun, love and trust.
Dog Surfing for Fun, Love, and Trust
All the surf dogs and their owners/handlers were having FUN, a very important factor.
These surf dogs absolutely LOVE to surf and ride the ocean wave. Their doggy surf facial expression says it all.
The human-dog Bond & TRUST is undeniably visible. I was not surprised at all to witness such wonderful human-dog connection.
How did these surf dogs get judged?
Pro surfer and pet parent Taylor Knox was one of the judges. There were 8 heats (i.e. rounds of competition for each dog size) and 2 heats for the tandem ride. In each heat, the panel of judges used these factors:
Length of ride
Size of wave
confidence on the wave
Dog positioning
Standing on all fours vs sitting or lying down
Leashed to the board
*the top 2 waves were used to tally the heat total for each participant
Additional points were given for the following factors:
Longest ride
Biggest wave
Riding an open-faced water (as opposed to riding a white water wave)
if the dog pulls a maneuver (360 or 180)
ENJOY the video: Photo Clips 2015 Unleashed by Petco Surf Dog Competition
All the surf dogs did an incredible job. They all deserve a pawsome prize.
Here are the 2015 Unleashed by Petco Surf Dog Competition Winners.
Small Dog Winners:
1st – Ziggy, American Eskimo
2nd – Coppertone, Dachshund
3rd – Sampson, King Charles Cavalier
Medium Dog Winners:
1st – Abbie, Australian Kelpie
2nd – Brandy, Pug
3rd – Cherie, French Bulldog
Large Dog Winners:
1st – Kalani, Golden Retriever
2nd – Lola, English Bulldog
3rd – Musubi, Golden doodle
X-Large Dog Winners:
1st – Hanzo, Boxer
2nd – Teddy, Golden doodle
3rd – Haole, Labrador Retriever
Kalani & Hanzo Tandem Winners
Money raised from this event benefited the San Diego Humane Society.
Looks like so much fun
Awesome video! Thank you so much for sharing your experience at Unleashed by Petco Surf Dog Competition. Sugar looks like she was having a great time. Loved all the pictures!
That looks like a really cool event! Fun video!
Woohoo, go Hanzo!! Represent the boxers!!!
what a fabulous event. I wish I could see it once too… I’m proud that the 3rd place of the small dogs went to a french breed :o)
This is very exciting! I saw something about this on the news this weekend and I couldn’t look away. My boyfriend thought the dogs were scared, but I explained that they train and practice and the dogs love it. He had no idea that this happens; I had no idea it happened as an organized event!
Looks and sounds like it was a blast
What a fun time that must have been, Sugar!! Great reporting!
Smileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
This looks like so much fun! Thanks for reporting on it for our BFTB NETWoof News, Sugar! You did amazing. ☺
That just shows you how cool doggies are!
Your Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
awesome video and pics thanks 4 sharing. lots of fun.????
wow, cant believe you traveled that far. did you fly? looks like lots of fun.