Pups in the Pipeline

Author’s Note: This is Part 1 in a series about the Surf Dog Phenomenon in Southern California.

After years of fetching a ball or stick and swimming back to shore, dogs are now riding the waves in style.  Judging from the success at recent Surf Dog events in SoCal, dogs are just as stoked about surfing as their human friends.

Surfers and dogs are a natural combination. Just as surfers care passionately about their sport and the environment, Surf Dogs are competing in order to help raise money for their furry and non-furry friends in need. On June 20th, the 4th Annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition was held. The event, which has raised a total of $45,000 and was featured on a NBC National News: Making a Difference segment, benefits the Modest Needs Foundation, an organization that helps prevent poverty in human families.

Winning 1st place in the Small Dogs category was the legendary Jack Russell Terrier, Buddy, and his teammate Bruce Hooker. Buddy, who has been surfing for 9 of his 11 years, may be slowing down just a wee bit, according to Bruce, but at 26 pounds, he can still ride solo on three-foot waves. For this 14″ tall pooch, that qualifies as some seriously overhead waves!

Just like his human surfer friends, Buddy lives to surf. He is known on the circuit for his RuffWear red life jacket–as soon has Bruce picks it up, Buddy is raring to hit the beach. He can’t wait to get into the line-up, jumping for joy as he and Bruce head out, and he provides plenty of excited barks during the paddle out. (Check out the Favorites on our Youtube Channel for more fun Surf Dog videos.)

Bruce told us that he’s often asked how to train a dog to surf like Buddy does, but he admits he doesn’t have a good answer. Buddy just seemed to train himself. It all started when Bruce was teaching his human children to surf, and Buddy wanted a piece of the action. He hopped up on one of the boogie boards and Bruce’s daughter, then 11, gave Buddy his first ride. And the rest is history.

Zoey is another tubular terrier. She and her teammate, Scott Chandler, took 1st place in the Tandem event at the Loew’s competition. Just as a Jack Russell isn’t the only breed to take to the surf, not all Jack Russells are destined for Surf Dog fame. However, they all do need plenty of exercise and are  happiest when they are included in every fun activity of their human families.

Coming up on September 13th is the Surf Dogs Surf-A-Thon at the Del Mar Dog Beach, benefiting the Helen Woodward Animal Center. We recently spoke with Holly Piper about past Surf-A-Thons and the exciting plans for this year’s event. Stay tuned for Part 2 of Pups in the Pipeline for all the details.  We’ll also tell you about two new Surf Dog events taking place in Huntington Beach this year:  SurfinPaws  in July and  Surf City Surf Dogs in October.

And, check back right here for Part 3 in our series for a discussion of Surf Dog products, such as canine life jackets and a surfboard designed by Guy Takayama. We’ll share some tips from Bruce Hooker, who started surfing with Buddy long before there were such items. And, for those of you who are new to Surf Dogging and want to team up with a pup who isn’t quite as intuitive as Buddy, we’ll pass along some training and safety ideas from the pros.