Surf's Up Pup!

It’s that time of year again, when the boards get waxed, the rash guards come out, and the sunscreen put on, as Orange County’s best surfers ride some waves.  But you won’t find Kelly Slater or Sunny Garcia at this world-famous event because this surf competition is for dogs only.

This world famous surf competition is in its fourth year running and getting bigger every year. From fashion shows to expos and spanning over 3-days, there is a wide variety of activities for the whole family to enjoy, and plenty of time to enjoy it.  While the additional festivities will take place at various locations, the actual surf competition will take place at the Huntington Dog Beach (at PCH and Goldenwest Street), with this year’s title sponsored by GreenDog Naturals.

The weekend kicks off tonight, Friday, September 28^th, with a little bit of schmoozing at 6 p.m. at The Shorebreak Hotel, located at 500 Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach.  Here the Opening Ceremony will be conducted followed by Yappy Hour which will both be hosted by The Shorebreak Hotel.  At 6:30 p.m. the Dog is Beachin’ fashion show, hosted by Dog is Good, will begin.  A $10 donation is suggested at the door and raffle tickets will also be available for sale.
 
On Saturday, September 29^th, the festivities will continue at The Strand on 5^th, located at 155 5^th Street in Huntington Beach.  Starting at 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. is the Pets Love Toys 2-Day Expo. In between that expo, at noon, the Surf City Dog Spaw Canine Costume Contest and Owner Look-a-Like Contest will begin.  Anyone is welcome to enter the contest for a $20 entry fee paid on site.  And finally, at 1 p.m., keep a look out for the Super Smiley Flash Mob 4 Pet Adoption. They won’t be hard to find but they could be easily missed, so be sure to get there before 1 p.m.

 
The Pets Love Toys Expo will continue on Sunday, September 30th, from 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. but the real fun starts at 9 a.m. when the surf competition begins.  Divided by weight and judged by their ability to stay on their boards while riding a wave, dogs will compete in a series of heats to determine who will move on to the finals later that day.  At 12 p.m., after the heats have ended, the bravest dogs will hop on their boards once again in hopes of setting a new world record for the Longest Wave Surfed by a Dog.  The current record holder for the Guinness Book of World Records Longest Wave Surfed by a Dog (in open water) belongs to Abbey Girl, who surfed for a whole 60 meters (196ft. 10.2 in.) in the 2011 Surf City Surf Dog competition.  Following the attempts to break the world record, the surf finals will begin at 12:30 p.m., after which, the weekend will conclude with The Shorebreak Awards and Closing Ceremony held at The Shorebreak Hotel at 2:15 p.m.  
 
It’s going to be a wet and wild weekend in Huntington Beach so grab the dog, some sunblock, and your camera because you’re not going to want to miss it!