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The World Dog Surfing Championships 2026 saw the participation of a woman and her dog who both beat cancer.
The World Dog Surfing Championships, an event that sees canines scored by judges on how long they can stay on a board, the size of the waves they surf, and their confidence while doing so.
Celebrating its 10th year, the event takes place in Pacifica, roughly 14 miles south of San Francisco, CA. It raises funds for local animal charities, and features a pet adoption portion of the event.
The 2026 contest in detail
Amongst those in attendance were Sophia Sadlowski and her Miniature Pinscher, Rusty. She started surfing with him when he was just four months old. Speaking to AP News, she said: “I took him to the beach, I took my surf board, I took a couple of little photos. He doesn’t get off, he didn’t wanna get off.
“And then I walk over to the beach, I put him on a wave… and he surfed it. And then I’m like ‘Oh, there’s a surf competiton, I’m going to enter him’,” she continued. “He was four months old and he took third place. So we’ve been surfing since then. We got hooked.”
Sadlowski also revealed that both she and her pup overcame cancer. “We’re both cancer-free right now. So, you know, we are blessed people. And dog. I consider him a people.”
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The “Top Dog” winner of the 2026 contest was Rippin’ Rosie Drottar, a 5-year-old Labrador retriever from Santa Cruz. She and her owner, Steve Drottar, a prosecuting attorney who has surfed for 40 years, surf together 4-5 times a week when conditions allow.
For more on dogs, check out our coverage of the dog that shot a woman with a shotgun, or the adorable dog with “short spine syndrome”.
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