I saw this article by Sara Hammel at People Pets and thought it was great:If you read about the recent Dog Surfing Championships in San Diego last month, you may have been impressed – but skeptical that your own pooch could catch a wave without catapulting off his board into the roiling Pacific.
Your incredulity would be well-founded.
Recently, my husband and I took our 7-year-old Labrador, Ollie, to the Loews Coronado Bay's “Su’Ruff Camp,” a package (available through Dec. 2009) that includes surfing lessons for your dog and one night’s stay at its resort near San Diego. (Prices start at $389 including a Surf & Turf room-service pet meal for Rover).
A very patient, very pooch-friendly instructor met us at a San Diego dog beach near the hotel, and proceeded to introduce Ollie (pictured above) to the board. All he had to do was stand on the board as it sat in the sand. But as soon as we got four paws on, Ollie was off chasing another dog’s ball.
Next, we took him into the shallow surf. Between three of us we hoisted Ollie on, and after about ten tries he managed to stand up on his own, so we let go, and he surfed. He rode that wave for about 1.5 seconds before leaping off and, you guessed it, started chasing another ball. Still, we were told, he DID SURF.
A Loews rep explained that some dogs don’t even make it onto the board, while others will start catching waves on their own after an hour’s training. The more natural doggie surfers will come back year after year, from states far and wide, to surf those California waters.
Okay, Ollie isn’t in the latter category. Still, it was a great afternoon out taking out our dog into the Pacific on a sunny day, an experience we won’t soon forget.
Your incredulity would be well-founded.
Recently, my husband and I took our 7-year-old Labrador, Ollie, to the Loews Coronado Bay's “Su’Ruff Camp,” a package (available through Dec. 2009) that includes surfing lessons for your dog and one night’s stay at its resort near San Diego. (Prices start at $389 including a Surf & Turf room-service pet meal for Rover).
A very patient, very pooch-friendly instructor met us at a San Diego dog beach near the hotel, and proceeded to introduce Ollie (pictured above) to the board. All he had to do was stand on the board as it sat in the sand. But as soon as we got four paws on, Ollie was off chasing another dog’s ball.
Next, we took him into the shallow surf. Between three of us we hoisted Ollie on, and after about ten tries he managed to stand up on his own, so we let go, and he surfed. He rode that wave for about 1.5 seconds before leaping off and, you guessed it, started chasing another ball. Still, we were told, he DID SURF.
A Loews rep explained that some dogs don’t even make it onto the board, while others will start catching waves on their own after an hour’s training. The more natural doggie surfers will come back year after year, from states far and wide, to surf those California waters.
Okay, Ollie isn’t in the latter category. Still, it was a great afternoon out taking out our dog into the Pacific on a sunny day, an experience we won’t soon forget.
