The roars grew as the wave swelled. Rippin Rosie, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever, crouched as the wave grabbed her board.
“Holy s-, they’re going!” someone in the crowd yelled. A second line of surf caught Rosie and her board as it slowed, sending the cheerful pup from Soquel (Santa Cruz County) zipping toward shore.
On dry land, hundreds of people cheered in approval as she glided toward them.
By the end of the day, she had taken first place in the large/extra-large dog category, and she and her human, Steve Drottar, had taken first in the stand-up paddleboarding category.
Rosie and about 20 other contestants – with the help of their humans – competed at the 10th annual World Dog Surfing Championships at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica.
Because of heavy waves this year, organizers scrapped the “top dog” category in favor of the “spirit of surfing” award, announced by Rep. Sam Liccardo, former San Jose mayor. Rosie took first place overall, followed by Iza, a French bulldog from Pleasanton, and Bradley “Shortboard” Cooper, a 1-year-old mixed-breed rescue pup from Long Beach. Prizes were also given in size categories, to dogs and humans on tandem teams, and to canines competing in a fashion show.
The contestants navigated a sometimes choppy surf, with more than one wipeout sending pups leaping from their boards into the warm water.
After their heats, they posed for photos, as adoring spectators chatted with their humans, offered scritches and strokes, and edged deeper into the surf as they tried to snap social-media-worthy photos.
Among the contestants was 11-year-old Charlie, a yellow Lab from the San Diego area.
The pup’s surfing adventure began by accident, owner Jeff Nieboer said, when he and his wife decided to take a photo of Charlie on a surfboard while they were camping on the beach. A surf lesson followed, and soon, Charlie was grabbing his board and tugging it toward the surf.
“Once he figured out what we wanted him to do, he took off,” Nieboer said.
Now 11, Charlie has slowed down a bit, said Nieboer, who now takes him out in the water only for half-hour wave sessions.
“He still really likes it,” Nieboer said as Charlie chuffed excitedly at his feet. “I just know his limitations. He won’t stop, and I kind of have to put a cap on it.”
Don Nykolayko of Costa Mesa (Orange County) was there with his 4-year-old Frenchie, Rocket.
They’d been doing it for a few years, he said, after first teaching Rocket’s older sister, Cherie, how to surf.
At first hesitant, Rocket warmed up to the activity when his sister joined him on the board, Nykolayko said.
Surfing together, he said, created a special bond that he hadn’t experienced with other dogs.
“It’s so much fun,” he said. “A little weird, but such a good time.”
While the competitors cavorted on surfboards, spectators and their dogs frolicked on the beach: Dobermans and Italian greyhounds, whippets and border collies, Labs and golden retrievers. Corgis. Huskies. Pit bulls. German shepherds. And the goodest of mutts.
Among them was Waffles, an 8½-year-old goldendoodle dressed in doggie lifeguard attire.
This was her fifth time visiting, according to her human, Laurie Brajkovich of Sacramento.
“The dogs love it. If you look at them, they’re all smiling and barking, and so happy to be out there,” Brajkovich said.
Eunice Alonzo and Jonathan Torres of Richmond woke up at 6 a.m. to drive the 40 miles to Pacifica.
“It’s super cool to see them get in the water,” Alonzo said as she cradled Alana, her 8-year-old spaniel-doodle mix. Alana, she explained, was scared of the waves and not interested in surfing.
“They look like they enjoy it,” she said, chuckling. “These dogs have some skills that I would like to have.”
Isla Dorsey and her mother, Irene, traveled to Pacifica from Vacaville the day before. They planned to make a whole trip out of the event, getting lunch and then sunbathing at another nearby beach.
“I love dogs,” the 13-year-old said. “I’ve never seen them surf before. It’s super cute.”
Isla has been lobbying her mom for a dog, she said, but her pleas appeared to be falling on deaf ears.
“I won’t get you a dog,” Irene Dorsey said she told her. “How about watching them surf instead?”
Down at the water’s edge, Lindsay and Julie Young, mother and daughter, sported shirts featuring Rippin Rosie, the famous yellow Lab. They’d driven up to Pacifica from Santa Cruz, and this was their third time attending.
“What’s not to love – dogs and the beach!” Lindsay said. “It’s awesome. It never gets old.”
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This article originally published at Dogs catch waves and cheers at Pacifica surfing contest.
