Who’s the top dog? Wave-riding canines compete in the World Dog Surfing Championships

Charlie the 10-year-old yellow lab likes surfing so much, he will grab his surfboard and run toward the water. His humans sometimes have to hide his board if they want to chat with friends on the beach.

Charlie joined about 15 to 20 other canine wave riders in Pacifica, 14 miles (22 kilometers) south of San Francisco, on Saturday at the World Dog Surfing Championships, an annual contest that draws thousands of spectators to Pacifica State Beach.

Pooches competed against similarly sized peers for a chance to appear in the finals. Additional heats featured multiple dogs surfing tandem or riding with people.

Labs, terriers and spaniels in monogrammed life vests dog-paddled out into the Pacific. Once out on the waves, their owners helped them hop on colorful boards and hang ten as the crowd cheered from the beach.

Judges scrutinized how long the dogs remained on their boards, how long they held their balance and whether they performed any tricks, like turning around while riding.

Iza, a 5-year-old French bulldog, won the single surfer heat for medium-size dogs for the first time this year, her owner David Fasoli said.

Fasoli found “pure joy” during the pandemic when he brought home a surfboard from his job at Costco and taught Iza to balance in the swimming pool. The two soon started swimming in the ocean and learning to ride waves as passersby at the beach watched in awe. Now, their competitions are all about defying expectations.

“I have a disability — I only have one hand — so a nonsporting human combined with a nonsporting dog breed, we are kind of phenomenal, defying the odds of what people think we’re capable of doing,” Fasoli said after Saturday’s competition.

Charlie, who has his own Instagram page, entered the extra-large single surfer heat. He also rode tandem with two other dogs in what their humans called “The Dream Team.”

“He loves the crowd,” owner Maria Nieboer said.

Charlie and Nieboer’s husband, Jeff Nieboer, prepare for waves together. When Jeff spots a good one, he turns the board around and tells Charlie to “get ready.”

He pushes the board forward, and Charlie scrunches down and rides the wave as long as he can. Charlie can even steer the board by leaning and surfs toward an awaiting Maria on shore.

He doesn’t have to be rewarded with treats for any of it.

“Charlie does what Charlie wants to do once we’re in the water,” Jeff said.

Contest winners received medals and bragging rights.

Charlie’s “Dream Team” compatriot, fellow yellow lab Rosie, was in four heats. The 4-year-old’s owner, Steve Drottar, said she is “stoked” after they go surfing, which they do four to five times a week back home in Santa Cruz.

“It’s like, hey, we actually did something today, right? We did something together as a team,” Drottar said. “And the fact that you can do something as a team with your dog creates a different bond than you have when you just take your dog for a walk.”

He can tell Rosie feels a sense of accomplishment afterward because she is extra happy, wags her tail extra hard and snuggles even more than usual.

“It’s like we go home on the couch and it feels like she’s saying, ‘Thank you,’ ” Drottar said.