Dogs rule the waves

The surfing dogs event has been drawing huge crowds to the Noosa Festival with their antics for several years now, each time adding a little something new to their repertoire. VetShopAustralia.com.au and Chris de Aboitiz promise the bar will be set even higher this year.
Chris has had a busy year, travelling to the United States to bring his training techniques to the Californian public, save and train a rescue dog called Hobie and compete in a dog surfing competition.
Back in Australia, he has been continuing his ‘dog whispering’ with his loving sidekicks and planning the year ahead.
Chris and his four-legged companions will be hitting the road over the next six weeks, making their way up the East Coast, starting at Sandy Point, Victoria, on a 13-stop tour.
At each venue, the SUP Dog OZ team will be presenting demonstrations and workshops for the general public, both in surfing and stand up paddling with canine companions, and in better bonding with their dogs on dry land.
“I’m looking forward to travelling again, meeting new people and teaching people how to have a happy, fun time with their dogs while giving them structure and exercise,” says Chris.
“It [SUP dog surfing] is such a fun, simple and easy way to build a better relationship with your dog,” he said.
The tour culminates in a Noosa Heads workshop the day prior to the Laguna Real Estate Noosa Festival of Surfing, Friday 3 March, open to the public and fun for everyone, on the water and on land.
The official VetShopAustralia.com.au Surfing Dogs Spectacular takes place at 4pm on Sunday 5 March, and Chris has something pretty special up his sleeve.
“I’m going to be bringing a big inflatable SUP with me this year,” he says. “It’s 17 feet long and five-feet wide. We’re hoping to get some members of the public on board with their dogs and have a bunch of us surfing at the same time. It’s going to be a great event,” he said.