Dogs Hit the Waves at Surfing Championships 2025
This month, Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, San Francisco, will open its beach to an unlikely group of competitors; surfing dogs. On August 2, the much-anticipated World Dog Surfing Championships 2025 will hold a fun-filled day for participants and spectators alike.
This once-in-a-lifetime event is about more than riding waves. In addition to the surf competition, a 'beach fashion contest' will feature pups strutting their stuff in style, and an adoption fair to assist rescue dogs in finding their own forever homes.
"World leaders in dog surfing and amateur surfers alike are welcome to take the gold home," organisers have announced on the contest's official website. The winner pooch will win the prestigious Golden Surfie Award, so the stakes are high for both experienced and novice dog surfers.
All the participating dogs are given 10 minutes per session to ride for as many waves as they can. They are judged on different factors like the duration of their ride, size of waves, confidence, and style. Bonus points are given if the dog can do tricks while surfing on the board.
The competition has various divisions, according to the weight of the dog and whether or not they're surfing in tandem with others. Certain rounds permit tandem rides, even combining a dog with its owner on one board.
For their protection, canines are not permitted to be chained to the boards with leashes during competition. The owners must supply their own surfboards and life jackets for their canine surfers.
From being known as the 'Small Wave Surf Dog Competition' in 2006, it has now become an internationally acknowledged event. There have been similar surf dog competitions that have since sprouted in locations such as Florida, Australia, and the UK, but the California version remains the most symbolic.
