Home   News   National   Article

Dogs and their owners take to the sea in annual surfing competition


By PA News

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Dogs and their owners took to the sea on Sunday morning in the annual Dogmasters competition (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Dogs and their owners have taken to the sea in Dorset in the UK’s only canine surfing and paddleboard championship.

After having to cancel in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, Dogmasters at Branksome Dene Beach in Poole returned on Sunday morning for the third edition since its inception in 2018.

The marine pet show sees people and their dogs hop on to paddleboards and surfboards for tandem races.

Other events include solo surfs where four-legged friends ride the waves alone – with dogs awarded prizes for “style, longest wave, dismount, effort, tricks and most importantly tail wagging”, according to the event’s website.

Run by local aquatic sports business Shaka Surf, Dogmasters also includes a fancy dress competition, with one brave competitor taking to the waves in a fabric Scooby-Doo outfit this year.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.

Keep up-to-date with important news from your community, and access exclusive, subscriber only content online. Read a copy of your favourite newspaper on any device via the HNM App.

Learn more


This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More