HUNTINGTON BEACH – As Sugar propelled down the face of a 3-foot wave and whitewash crumbled behind her, she clung on tight to the wobbly board beneath her with all four paws.

The crowd on the sand hooted and hollered – and a few barked – as the small white dog rode the big wave to shore.

“She stays on, she’s just a cat,” said owner Ryan Rustan. “She’s just a good little athlete.”

Sugar was found in December – abandoned, beaten and her bottom row of teeth missing – on the streets of downtown Los Angeles. The hard days are now behind her, and she’s adapted well to her new life as an Orange County surfer.

“She’s helped me 10 times more than I’ve helped her, mentally,” Rustan said. “She changed me, dude. She changed my whole life.”

The puppy was one of 46 dogs that showed up in Huntington Beach to compete in the fourth annual Surf City Surf Dog event, a fundraiser that brought dog lovers to watch the sandy spectacle.

Waves were rough for the pups, with a strong swell that brought 3- to 4-foot waves and strong currents.

“It’s pretty big. But the dogs are doing amazing,” said contest creator Lisa Scolman. “The owners are getting beaten up, but the dogs are having a great time.”

A Guinness World Record attempt to get 20 dogs to ride the same wave for five seconds was made midday. Guinness adjudicator Mike Janela was on the sand – sporting an official suit and shiny loafers in the sweltering heat – to record if the attempt was successful.

While no official record had been set in the past, Guinness establishes minimum requirements for legitimate record attempts. Janela sees a lot of bizarre things in his job – and this one is definitely up there.

“I can’t surf, and here are these dogs hanging 10, or hanging 20. It’s amazing. We get to see a lot of cool stuff, and this is something that is totally new,” he said before the attempt. “Hopefully, they are successful – but even if they aren’t, it’s a great event to get all these people out here.”

The waves ended up too strong to get all 20 pooches to stand up at the same time, many scurrying to shore as waves pounded them, with owners holding them tight. Some were able to stay on and ride the wave, but after two failed attempts, the world record will have to wait until next year.

Heather McKenny came out of the water with a big scratch on her right cheek and down her neck after her dog, Sir Hollywood, panicked in the strong surf.

“It was really hard,” she said. “If we did this last year, the waves were great for it. But this year, it’s the toughest waves.”

Even though she walked away a bit beat up, she’ll be coming back next year.

“It’s just a great way for people with dogs to have a good time together, and with all the support of the people who come out – it couldn’t be better,” McKenny said.

Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com