Dogs take the lead at unique US surf competition

Dogs, big and small, and some in tandem or with their owner, participate in the 7th annual Surf City Surf Dog contest in Huntington Beach, California on September 27, 2015. AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN

Dogs big and small, and some in tandem with their owners, braved the large swell that greeted them at a surfing competition with a difference in California Sunday.

Some dogs bailed off their boards in spectacular wipeouts as waves pounded the shore, but that didn’t prevent many of the pups from wagging their tails at the Surf City Surf Dog event in Huntington Beach. 

Dogs and their owners came from as far away as Florida, Australia and Brazil for the eighth edition of the annual event in aid of animal charities.

The rides were the last and most popular phase of the three-day event that started Friday.

Canine and human competitors had 12 minutes to catch their top five waves, with judges evaluating them on their confidence level, length of ride and overall ability to ride the wave.

“We got some small, but mighty SurFurs out there,” organizers said on Facebook.

The winner of the dog-only Shredder division was Bono, a Labrador owned by Ivan Moreira of Brazil.