Surf Dog championships: Canine competitors take to the waves in California for annual competition

Dogs shredded the waves to compete for the ultimate surf accolade

The pooches were judged on confidence level, riding time and overall ability (Daren Fentiman)

The UK has Crufts, but over in America Californian dogs are competing for a much cooler canine prize.

Last weekend, the world’s best surf-dogs took to the waves in Huntington Beach for the ninth annual Surf City Surf Dog event, watched by a crowd of 3,000 supporters.

More than 50 pooches went head to head to claim the coveted trophy and title. Huntington Beach sits just south of Los Angeles and is famed for its year round breaking surf.

The four-legged riders tackled waves from one to three feet and were divided into judging categories based on their weight, ability and whether or not a human rides with them. They had 12 minutes to surf and were judged on confidence level, riding time and overall ability.

Categories included small, medium, large and extra-­large (based on weight), a shredder division (pro­‐level) for experienced surfers and tandem categories for dog‐dog and dog‐human.

The dogs were divided into categories based on weight and ability (Daren Fentiman)

Marcie Taylor, one of the organisers of the annual event, said that the judging process is similar to human surf competitions. Speaking to Inside Edition she said the dogs are "judged on different points, like how long they've ridden the waves and style points, so it's a lot like regular human surfers."

All dogs were required to wear a life-vest (Daren Fentiman)

An awards ceremony was held immediately after the competition. Proceeds from the event benefited animal charities including Barks of Love, Huntington Dog Beach, French Bulldog Rescue Network and Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue.

Dogs could surf alone, with another dog or with a human (Charmain Gray Photography)

Competition was tough but the overall winner was Sugar, a rescue dog living in Huntington Beach. Sugar is a seasoned pro and has collected a total of 15 trophies in dog surfing competitions during her career.