Surf's 'pup' for these dog dudes!
Dogs shred the waves in front of huge crowds at their annual surfing competition in California.
The Daily Mail reports that instead of shredding your homework, these dogs were shredding waves. More than 70 pups took Huntington Beach to ride the waves at the Surf City Surf Dog competition.
The talented pooches showed off their skills by conquering the one-to-three-foot tall waves. The competition doubled as an adoption event and featured dog play zones.
'Pawticipants' had 12 minutes to surf and were judged on confidence level, riding time and overall ability. All dogs are required to wear doggie life vests to compete.
Prince Dudeman, age nine, took home the first place trophy in the Small Dog category. His owner Ryan Thor told DailyMail.com this is Dudeman's fourth competition and he has only been on the water 20 times.
Thor adopted Bichon Frise and Japanese Chin mix also appeared as Mr Shades on the Nickelodeon show Mutt & Stuff. Even thought Dudeman just picked up surfing last year, he is already a champion. Thor said: "I taught him how to ride on a skateboard and a motorcycle so it wasn't a big deal to ride a wave."
Prince Dudeman was seen rocking aviator sunglasses while balancing on Thor's head before the competition. This is one of the first tricks he learned as a pet therapy dog.
The top three winners won trophies but all dogs received a commemorative participation medal. There are categories for small, medium, large and extra large dogs. Pups can ride two dogs on a surf board, with their owners or solo.
A rescue black-and-tan Australian Kelpie named Abbie Girl had the longest ride time. According to the Orange County Register, she has been surfing for 10 years. She won the World Dog Surfing Championship in Pacifica last month.
Her owner Michael Uy told the paper: "She’s one of the only dogs that gets up on the board by herself, that’s how I know she wants to keep surfing. And when she falls off, she knows how to get back on the board."
Most of the pups hailed from Southern California, but two came all the way from Canada and one travelled from Brazil. This is the competition's ninth year. Some of its charity partners include Barks of Love, French Bulldog Rescue Network, Huntington Dog Beach and Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue. It is sponsored by McKenna Subaru.
The three-day event kicked off Friday with a canine couture fashion show.
(Story source: Daily Mail)