'Pawsome' pooches hit the waves at the World Dog Surfing Championships in California

Surfing dogs and their owners headed to California's Pacifica State Beach on Saturday for the World Dog Surfing Championships.

The popular event returned for its 13th year after a two-year hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic and attracted hundreds of spectators.

“We've competed every year. We're undefeated in tandem, so that's kind of cool,” said Homer Henard, owner of 'Skyler the Surf Dog', who took the top prize at the championship.

“We've been surfing for 12 years so we surf pretty much all the time. We love it, she loves riding waves with me. We ride tandem together, she rides solo and we just have a good time in the ocean,” the former pro surfer said.

Skylar is 13 years old but she's not letting her age slow her down. When she's not hitting the waves, she works as a surf therapy dog for disabled children.

According to Homer, “she's also a surf therapy dog for 'Operation Surf' and 'Waves of Impact' so that's something we're proud of doing. She goes out with the disabled kids and stuff, makes them feel comfortable on the surfboard.”

“We like to do the competitions as well, just to let everybody enjoy Skyler and smile,” he added.

The competition is divided into categories such as solo or tandem surfing and broken into heats depending on the size of the dogs. A total of 40 pooches attended the event, with a costume contest organized for those that preferred to stay on the beach. A portion of the revenue generated by the competition will go to various dog-related charities.