Surf dog: Mark Berry looks on proudly as one of his
chocolate Labradors cruises along in style
BRANSTON (OR IS IT PICKLE?) RIDES A WAVE
When you take a dog for a walk and throw its ball into the sea, you expect it to gamely paddle out – not bodysurf the waves like a pro.
That's when Mark Berry realised his Labradors, Branston and Pickle, needed a board rather than a ball.
The pair now share a 2.1m (7ft) surfboard and can trim along the face of the wave, after a push-off from fashion photographer Mr Berry.
'I can't believe how good they are at surfing – it's a bit embarrassing bec ause they're already much better than me,' said the 39-year-old from Ickenham in Hillingdon, West London.
The surf dogs are now hooked and have lost interest in walks taking in any wave-free lakes or rivers.
The pair are so skilful that Mr Berry and wife Gill, also 39, plan to invest in a 2.7m (9ft) board so their pets can go tandem at their favourite spot in West Wittering, West Sussex.
A pro career now awaits – the dogs have been invited by Wittering Surf Shop, which supplied them with their first board, to do a dog surfing demo at a contest later this year.
'Next thing, they probably won't need me at all – they'll be paddling the board themselves,' added Mr Berry.
(Metro)
That is so sweet and such fun. Dogs are such daring companions. I adopted a sweet little dog in Mexico whom I called Angelita. She would get onto my float every morning with me and I would paddle out in the sea. The fish would be jumping all around us (it was the Sea of Cortez.) I would say to her, "mira a los pescos Angel. Mira los pescos!" Once I fell asleep on the float and it started to drift toward the mouth of a river where there were dangerous eddies. Her barking from the beach woke me and I was able to paddle out of danger. Dogs are wonderful.