SCOTT SIMON, host:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Southern California, the birthplace of surf culture, has a new trend: surfing dogs.
(Soundbite of laughter)
SIMON: I'm not sure I believe this. Do they hang 11 if you count the tail? In any event, apparently surfing dogs are even entering competition. Gloria Hillard has more.
(Soundbite of dog barking)
GLORIA HILLARD: At first, the surfing class seemed a bit out of control. Some of the students were running in circles, two Boston terriers were engaged in a game of tug-of-war, and then the Chihuahua mix caught a 10-inch wave.
(Soundbite of applause)
HILLARD: The dog's owner, Ginny Moncouer(ph), camera in hand, was the most excited. And who is that out there on the…
Ms. GINNY MONCOUER: That's Angus.
HILLARD: Angus is doing pretty well.
Ms. MONCOUER: Yeah, he really enjoys this.
HILLARD: Oh, there you go.
Ms. MONCOUER: He's going backwards. He's…
(Soundbite of dog barking)
HILLARD: Backwards on the board seemed to be the preferable style of the novice surfing dogs. Others preferred lying down. Kia, a small Russell terrier with her own surfboard, was watching it all from the shore. Her owner, Rene Bruce(ph), was teaching the surf clinic.
Mr. RENE BRUCE (Surfing Instructor): Baby steps, you know, and what we really try to promote is the dogs wanting to get on the board and go have some fun, you know?
HILLARD: That's what most dogs were having, especially the ones chasing the boogie boards, when Bobby Gorgeous(ph), the star pupil of last week, showed up.
Mr. BRUCE: Not to discriminate or anything, but you wouldn't really think of a Pomeranian being a surf dog, and he did so great, I couldn't believe it. All right, let's go, Bud.
HILLARD: The small blonde dog hit the water running and then jumped on the board. This was his last chance to train before the surf competition.
(Soundbite of music)
HILLARD: More than 40 dogs are entered in the Surfin' Paws Dog Jam in Huntington Beach today. The sun's out, there are two-foot swells, and the pros on their soft foam boards are getting in some practice time. Laurie Eckman(ph) and Julie LaPoint(ph) are among the spectators.
Unidentified Woman #1: Look at this (unintelligible). That chocolate lab, whoa. He's still on the board. There he is.
(Soundbite of cheering)
Unidentified Woman #1: Nice (unintelligible).
Unidentified Woman #2: Oh, that's great. Yay.
HILLARD: One of the contestants is Hunter, a golden retriever in a neon doggie life vest. His owner, Rose Jeffreys(ph), says they've both been surfing for four months now.
Ms. ROSE JEFFREYS: It's a way for me to spend time in the water with my dog, and now that my children are grown, I need an activity, to use the surfboards that are left in my garage.
(Soundbite of cheering)
HILLARD: And then the crowd spotted a celebrity in the water: Tyson, the famous skateboarding bulldog. When I approached, both the dog and his owner, Jim Blauvelt, were shaking off sand and saltwater.
Mr. JIM BLAUVELT: We're just here for the fun. Yeah, no, there's some serious competitors here that we can't hold a candle to. Now, if it was skateboarding, that would be different.
(Soundbite of applause)
HILLARD: And then the competition gets underway. The two leading favorites are Noni(ph), an 85-pound Burmese mountain dog; and Buddy, a Jack Russell. Both catch three-foot waves and ride them all the way to shore.
(Soundbite of cheering)
HILLARD: Veteran surfer Sam Wenzel(ph) is impressed with the competition.
Mr. SAM WENZEL: One dog actually sat down on his haunches to catch the wave, and then the board started to tilt, and he put out his leg out and steadied it. It was pretty incredible.
HILLARD: Not to mention the chocolate lab who rides most of his waves backwards. Meanwhile, in the judges' booth.
Unidentified Man #1: Who's the dog on the yellow with the yellow?
Unidentified Man #2: That's Eli.
Unidentified Man #1: That's Eli?
Unidentified Woman #3: Oh, so Eli's caught two now.
Unidentified Man #1: Eli's caught two.
Unidentified Woman #3: Do they get points off for going backwards, or is that…
Unidentified Woman #4: That's okay. I think that's, like, style.
HILLARD: At the end of the day, it's the style of Burmese mountain dog, Noni, who wins the judges over to take the grand prize. Noni's owner, Peter Knoll(ph), says the dog's first time in the water was just nine months ago.
Mr. PETER KNOLL: Yeah, she's a newbie, but she's a natural. She really has a good time.
HILLARD: And then Noni and the rest of the contestants join the other beach dogs rolling in the sand and lounging under umbrellas. One even caught a Frisbee. For NPR News, I'm Gloria Hillard.
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