Dogs on surfboards dazzled thousands in Pacifica | Fanfare | sfexaminer.com – San Francisco Examiner

Photo from 2022 Dog Surfing World Championship, Pacifica CA, 6 August 2022. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Photo from 2022 Dog Surfing World Championship, Pacifica CA, 6 August 2022. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Crowds gathered at the World Dog Surfing Championship in Pacifica. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Photo from 2022 Dog Surfing World Championship, Pacifica CA, 6 August 2022. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Skyler, overall top dog, at the World Dog Surfing Championships. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Dog on a surfboard at the World Dog Surfing Championships. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Photo from 2022 Dog Surfing World Championship, Pacifica CA, 6 August 2022. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Photo from 2022 Dog Surfing World Championship, Pacifica CA, 6 August 2022. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Crowds gathered at the World Dog Surfing Championship in Pacifica. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Photo from 2022 Dog Surfing World Championship, Pacifica CA, 6 August 2022. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Skyler, overall top dog, at the World Dog Surfing Championships. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
Dog on a surfboard at the World Dog Surfing Championships. (Courtesy of TasteTV/Jack Owicki)
It all began with a book. More specifically, it began with the  title that Surf Life for Women magazine once touted as, “for you if you make little cooing noises when you see a Labrador in a bandana and sunglasses.”
Now in its fifth edition, “The Dog’s Guide to Surfing,” inspired what has become an international spectacle — the pinnacle of which thousands gathered to celebrate last weekend on the shores of Pacifica. 
The World Dog Surfing Championships was back on the waves with a bark and a boogie, showcasing 40 dogs across various competitions. The event hit its 13th year since the first competition in Huntington Beach in 2009.
Categories highlighted the diverse skills of each dog. The Top Fetch Competition, judged “speed and distance for dog to retrieve ball tossed in water,” according to the official website, was for the ball-biased canines; the Beach Dog Fashion and Costume Contest, for the land-bound; and the eponymous Dog Surfing Competition was for the wave riders of the bunch. The last contest was broken into heats depending on dog size and offered two tandem categories — one dog and human, the other dog and dog. 
Overall top dog awards went to Skyler in first place, Faith in second and Carson in third. Each of these dog also won in their respective size categories, Skyler the medium dog, Carson the small dog and Faith the large dog. Faith also took the title for the dog and dog tandem contest with partner pup Rusty. Skyler and pet parent Homer won the human and dog tandem. 
Skyler, the gold-winning surfer, is a 13 year old heeler from Santa Cruz. 
“Skyler just loved doing whatever I was doing,” says her owner, Homer Henard — a retired pro-surfer turned hair stylist. 
“At a young age she just jumped on the surfboard and had great balance. So I was like oh it’s on we’re going to catch some waves together … and from there the progression was fast and fun.”
The two bonded over the sport and eventually began competing seven years ago, after Henard shared the pair’s adventures on Instagram and followers encouraged them to enter in events. 
“Next thing we new Skyler was winning and we were having fun surfing with all the other surf dogs,” Henard says.
When she’s not catching waves, Skyler works as a surf therapy dog for disabled children and veterans with the organizations Operation Surf and Waves of Impact. 
Last weekend’s free festivities also brought together dog surfers and dog surf enthusiasts for friendly competition, good pups and good causes. 
Partner tents offered the full fluff of canine services. A pet wellness fair hosted a check-up center for vet questions and health inquiries as well as a massage and fitness station. Mobile pet adoptions united furry families as dogs surfed the sea foam, walked a runway, and fetched regulation ball-fetch-in-water competition balls. All the fun was followed by a “Yappy Hour.”
A portion of the event’s proceedings went to dog related charities who sold merchandise and memberships along the shore. The Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA and Rocket Dog Rescue hosted the on site adoptions. Rocket Dog Rescue was able to facilitate nine adoptions. Numbers for the Peninsula Humane Society are not yet available. 
“It’s awesome to get all the surf dogs together in one spot and they get to ride together … and share their love for surfing and the ocean,” says Henard. 
And maybe next year, those nine newly homed pups will hit the waves, too.
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[email protected] | @carmela_gua
Carmela Guaglianone is a staff writer for The Examiner.
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