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Dogs to compete on surfboards at World Dog Surfing Championships 2025 in California
The quirky World Dog Surfing Championships will return to California’s Linda Mar Beach, where canines of all sizes will ride the Pacific waves.
The annual World Dog Surfing Championships will take place in California next month, a unique animal water sports event which will see canines riding the waves in the Pacific. The contest will be held on August 2 at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, near San Francisco.
"The world’s top dog surfers as well as amateurs are invited to bring home the gold," the organisers said on the official website of the contest.
The winner will be awarded what is called the Golden Surfie Award.
Apart from surfing, the one-day event will also include other activities such as a "beach fashion contest" for the furry friends and an adoption drive for rescue dogs.
Photos and videos from previous editions of the World Dog Surfing Championships showed dogs riding the waves steadily as they stood on all fours, sat down or lay down on their respective surfboards. Dogs of various breeds, including pit bulls, pugs and Labradors, have participated in the previous years.
What are the rules for World Dog Surfing Championships 2025?
The judges will assess the four-legged friends based on the length of the ride, the size of the wave and certainty or technique on the board and confidence, according to the contest website. Tricks performed by the dogs on the surfboard are a bonus.
Dogs in each round have 10 minutes to catch as many waves as they can, according to the website.
There are multiple categories based on the weight of the dogs and the number of dogs on a single surfing board. Some categories allow multiple dogs, while one category even permits a human and a dog to surf together on the same board.
For safety reasons, canines cannot to tied to the surfboards with a leash when they are contesting.
The owners must being the surfboards and life jackets for their dogs.
The Surf Dog Competitions first started as "Small Wave Surf Dog Competition" in 2006. Similar events are held annually in Florida, Australia and the United Kingdom.
