A FUN, splashy and cute coastal sport has come to Europe for the first time ever and is being held right now in Asturias – dog-surfing is very deep-rooted in California, USA, and Australia holds regular championship events, but the 'old world' has never yet gone in for pooches on boards riding the waves.
An earlier edition of the World Dog-Surf Championships, held off the coast of California, USA (photo: Surfdogchampionships.com)
Until now, that is: The town of Castrillón in the northern region, with the help of pet-food store Tiendanimal and canine agility and behavioural training firm Maratondog, is hosting the first-ever European Dog-Surf Championship this weekend.
Starting earlier today (Saturday) and running until the end of tomorrow (Sunday, May 29), furry friends can compete either on their own, or in tandem with their human parents.
Classes are for dogs of five kilos or lighter, over five and up to 15 kilos inclusive, and for those weighing more than 15 kilos, with no upper limit.
They ride the boards on their own, albeit with their owner close by to guide them.
A fourth, 'tandem' class, is where waterborne hounds pair up with their human pets and surf together.
In California and Australia, categories are also run for two or more dogs on surf boards, with or without their parents, but the European version, for now, is taking it one dog at a time.
Part of the purpose behind dog-surfing championship competitions is to promote pet adoption from shelters, as an alternative to buying, for owners who are not seeking a specific breed – according to figures released this week, around 70% of dogs in rescue centres are mongrels or cross-breeds, and an active sanctuary which encourages adoption can end up rehoming an average of around 1,000 dogs and cats a year.
For this weekend's European Dog-Surf Championship, Tiendanimal has pledged to donate 5,000 meals for cats and dogs to shelters, and these will also get €10 for every competitor or pooch-human team.
Dogs can be taught to surf in Spain - Pipper had great fun with his dad Pablo in Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz province, in summer 2019. Find out more in our article about dog-friendly activities in Spain, by clicking on the link to the left (photo: @pipperontour on Instagram)
Maratondog and Tiendanimal chairman Manuel Calvo said he got the idea of bringing dog-surfing to Europe after watching these events elsewhere in the world, and seeing how they were excellent advertising for shelters seeking homes for their charges – as well as great fun.
Former tandem dog-surfing world champion and dog trainer Chris de Aboitiz says the sport can help school pets and teach them discipline, as well as enabling their owners to understand their furry friends better and connect with them on a much deeper level, Calvo explains.
In this way, it is rather like equestrian sports, where the bond between animal and human, flawless communication in both directions, and total trust in each other, are key to performance.
Six judges – four of them specialists in surfing and two in the dog world – analyse competitors' technique and style in the context of how challenging or otherwise the wave is, and also how confident the dog seems on the board and how much fun he or she is having.
One of this weekend's participants, Juan Manuel Santiago, says he has been surfing all his life, but for the past five years, has been practising his sport together with his Labrador, Kiara.
“She would have been about a year and a half old when she first saw me getting into the sea with my surfboard and came running after me, swimming up to me and trying to get on the board herself,” Juan Manuel reveals.
The first time he let her get on the surfboard, he found it 'really exciting', because he could 'enjoy his favourite sport with Kiara'.
“It's incredibly satisfying, and the bond you build up between you is really strong. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves surfing and loves animals,” he says.
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