<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Charlie the 10-year-old yellow lab likes surfing so much, he'll grab his surfboard and run toward the water. His humans sometimes have to hide his board if they want to chat with friends on the beach.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Charlie joined about 15 to 20 other dog wave riders in Pacifica, 22 kilometres south of San Francisco, on Saturday at the World Dog Surfing Championships, an annual contest that draws thousands of spectators to Pacifica State Beach.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Pooches competed against similarly sized peers for a chance to appear in the finals. Additional heats featured multiple dogs surfing tandem or riding with people.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/pro-palestine-protest-to-shut-down-sydney-harbour-bridge-today-strong-police-presence-across-sydney-melbourne/c8b94bbf-e177-4b15-a9cd-cd6dd06a42c4"><strong><span>'Extremely busy': Police warn people to avoid city as protesters prepare to swarm</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Labs, terriers and spaniels in monogrammed life vests dog-paddled out into the Pacific.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Once out on the waves, their owners helped them hop on colorful boards and hang ten as the crowd cheered from the beach.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judges scrutinised how long the dogs remained on their boards, how long they held their balance and whether they performed any tricks, like turning around while riding.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/whos-the-top-dog-waveriding-canines-compete-in-the-world-dog-surfing-championships/e24f5ad5-7074-4140-a5db-0e457be01fd8" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Charlie, who has his own Instagram page, entered the extra-large single surfer heat.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He also rode tandem with two other dogs in what their humans called “The Dream Team.”</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-weather-woman-missing-floodwaters-hunter-region-heavy-rain-black-ice-forecast-for-state/2e649802-20a4-4054-81eb-07162bab437a" rel="" target="_blank" title="Woman, 26, missing in floodwaters after car swept down embankment"><strong><span>Woman, 26, missing in floodwaters after car swept down embankment</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“He loves the crowd,” owner Maria Nieboer said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Charlie and Nieboer's husband, Jeff Nieboer, prepare for waves together. When Jeff spots a good one, he turns the board around and tells Charlie to “get ready".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He pushes the board forward, and Charlie scrunches down and rides the wave as long as he can. Charlie can even steer the board by leaning and surfs toward an awaiting Maria on shore.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He doesn't have to be rewarded with treats for any of it.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“Charlie does what Charlie wants to do once we’re in the water,” Jeff said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Contest winners received medals and bragging rights.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Charlie's “Dream Team” compatriot, fellow yellow lab Rosie, was in four heats. The 4-year-old's owner, Steve Drottar, said she is “stoked” after they go surfing, which they do four to five times a week back home in Santa Cruz.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“It’s like, hey, we actually did something today, right? We did something together as a team," Drottar said. “And the fact that you can do something as a team with your dog creates a different bond than you have when you just take your dog for a walk.”</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He can tell Rosie feels a sense of accomplishment afterward because she is extra happy, wags her tail extra hard and snuggles even more than usual.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“It’s like we go home on the couch and it feels like she’s saying, ‘Thank you,’” Drottar said.</span></div></div>