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While many of the world’s best surfers are in Tahiti competing in the Olympics, on Saturday there was a much different kind of international competition on the waves.
Pacifica California hosted the World Dog Surfing Championship and rather than winning medals, these contestants were in it for the fun.
People from all over came to Linda Mar Beach near San Francisco to catch a glimpse of the wonder of nature, dogs on surfboards.
“This is way better than what I was expecting! It’s adorable! It’s I would say it’s like the happiest place on Earth. You have dogs, surfing, whales, people are caffeinated it’s amazing,” Kelly Erhart said.
About 15 surfing canines showed up to compete for a title that no one really worried about.
“For me it’s not competition. For me it’s just watching all the dogs surf,” Jason Twedt.
There were four divisions: small, medium, large and extra large.
In the extra large competition, Steve Drottar said his dog, Rippin’ Rosie, said that Rosie loves to be out on the waves with her buddy.
“There’s very few people that get to experience this. I mean, it’s pretty small. There’s not that many people that actually get to surf with their dogs. And the people that do, and really do it a lot, have such an amazing bond. And it’s a gift to be able to surf with your dog,” Drottar said.
As for the competition, it has judges and they insist there are things they actually have to evaluate.
“How long they ride, how long they stay on the board, and if they do any tricks. Some do tricks, some have costumes on. So, it’s a wide variety,” said Laura Kass, a World Dog Surfing Championship volunteer.
There are no standards for the competition, it is about which dog is the most fun to watch. This is fine with the spectators, as many of them wade out into the water to get a better look at the surfing dogs.
The World Dog Surfing Championship raises money for charities such as the SPCA and Humane Society.
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