A look inside the surprisingly competitive world of dog surfing

Updated

For those who think the dog surfing scene is just about canines in costumes gliding in on the whitewash, Abbie the Australian Kelpie will prove you wrong.

Transforming dog surfing into a real sport

The 10-year-old rescue dog has just taken first place in the World Dog Surfing Championships at Linda Mar Beach in California.

"Of the nine years we have been doing this, because Abbie is the longest-competing surf dog, this was probably one of the most fun ones we have done," owner Mike Uy says.

Abbie had a devastating start to life and was found on the roadside in the Silicon Valley, but was later adopted by Mike who introduced her to the beach in an attempt to rehabilitate her.

"We never planned this … originally we were just doing sports together as a way to bond because she had so much trauma," Mike says.

"She was even afraid of the dark and men, including me at first.

"But doing sports together I could actually measure how much closer we were getting … it built her trust in me."

Since learning to ride the stick, Abbie has medalled in every competition she has entered and even set a new Guinness World Record for longest wave surfed by a dog — an impressive 107 metres.

But before this, it took some hard work from Mike to change people's attitudes towards dog surfing and actually consider it a real sport rather than a novelty.

"We tried to push it to be more of a sport … but we did get accused of being competitive," Mike says.

"However, now everyone is competitive!

"The same people who were pissed off at us are now fighting for trophies."

The transformation has been massive and the world of dog surfing has officially moved from a dress-up event in the shallows, to a truly athletic competition where some dogs even have their own surf instructors.

Training like an elite athlete

Custom fibreglass boards are common among surfer dogs as are special wetsuits which provide more buoyancy.

In fact, Abbie's wetsuit borrows technology from US Navy SEALs to ensure a lightweight suit which lets her move freely on the board.

Dog surfboards are a bit different to their human counterparts' boards, with a softer fin needed to absorb some of the turbulence a human surfer would not have to worry about.

Mike has even had to experiment with getting in the best weight range for his job as paddler.

"Because Abbie's board is so small … if I'm too skinny I don't float in my wetsuit, and if I'm too fat … well I'm too fat … I weigh the board down."

For Abbie, it's not too far from the life of a regular athlete, with strength training as well as diet and exercise monitoring.

Before competitions, training slows down for Abbie and her nails are kept a bit longer so she has extra grip on the board.

Hard work for humans too

Mike says people often do not think it but dog surfing is an absolute team sport, as the human needs to paddle the dog out past the break. And with a dog on board, there is no duck-diving the huge waves.

"If anything it's probably 75 per cent human and 25 per cent dog," Mike says.

"Everyone forgets that after your dog catches the wave, you are 50 metres offshore and you have to swim back to get the dog!"

To help Mike power through the impact zone he wears special paddle gloves — an accessory human surfers will probably not take up anytime soon.



"I get so much flack for those gloves from surfers!

"I say to them 'you guys aren't paddling out with a dog on your board so shut up!'

"But for a real surfer you do look like a kook, you might as well as have a propeller on the back of your board … but with a dog on board it's a different story."

'Outback Abbie'

Although her success has not come without hard yakka, Mike does credit Abbie's breed for some of her surfing talent.

"Kelpies are great because they have natural balance, so she kind of has an advantage," he says.

As a coincidental nod to her Australian heritage, Abbie was nicknamed "Outback Abbie" by the dog surf community, as she used to be the only dog to come from the outside and ride clean, open waves before they broke.

The canine carves up almost like a human as she has figured out how to drop in on a wave herself, get through when the wave breaks and steer her board, Mike says.

"Some of that's because she's done it for nine years, some of that is cause she's a kelpie and she's an Aussie," he says.

"She'll cut across the face of a wave and not just come straight in … it's distinguished her in competitions and judges like to see that.

"But surfers are dying on the shore, they're laughing their butts off, 'this dog's cutting across!'"

Abbie is trying her paw at other extreme sports now, most recently paragliding.

Trust not training

Although professional dog surfing requires a lot of dedication and training, the focus is always on making sure dogs enjoy the sport, Mike says.

"Dogs will do it if you tell them to, 'cause dogs have this nature of wanting to please you, but just 'cause a dog surfs doesn't mean he likes it," he says.

"It's never been about teaching them, it's about finding out if they enjoy it and if so, honing their natural ability."

Competitions come and go for Abbie and Mike, but for them surfing is about emphasising the importance of owners bonding with their dog through sports.

"Dogs are uniquely athletic animals," Mike says.

"People don't realise that, they think cuddling on the sofa and all that, dogs don't bond that way.

"So if you can create this really unique bond with your dog through athletics you give your dog a better life."

In the future Abbie and Mike desperately want to come to Australia and take part in the dog surf competition at Noosa, Queensland.

"We would love to be a guest of the Australian Government sometime," Mike says.

"Bring Abbie Down Under!"

Topics: animals, surfing, sport, human-interest, offbeat, united-states

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