Surfing dogs: the next big thing?

For years we’ve seen Tillman, the world-renown skateboarding bulldog (who I’m happy to see from his homepage, rides old school boards) in various online news articles and youtube videos. Surfing dogs have also received their share of media hype, though not nearly as much as Tillman. Nonetheless, in the realm of serious sports, surfer dogs are just as established as their skateboarding counterparts.

There are dog surfing competitions, like in Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego, California, which held its 6th annual dog surfing contest last June, and another similar competition recently held in Huntington Beach, California.

Maybe I’m just noticing it more now, but it seems that canine surfers are poised to take the world by storm. If by storm I mean more media coverage, events and youtube videos, and by the world I mean internet sites that make you go “awww” over and over again, like cute overload.

photo credit: Port of San Diego (Flickr CC)

Judging from photos and online videos it looks like bulldogs are particularly good at board sports, though there are plenty of other breeds hitting the waves, including German shepherds, boxers, mutts and terriers with good balance and no fear of huge waves crashing down upon them.

Ericeira, Portugal has its very own pair surfing dogs, who will hopefully hit celebrity status in the coming years – dog years, not people years, of course. See them in action in this youtube video as they hit the waves at Riberia de Ilhas beach in Ericeira.

For more cool photos of surfing dogs, check out this slide show in the Guardian from the Surf City Surf Dog competition in Huntington Beach, California.

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