Hang 8 Dog Surfing Competition planned for Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach’s most recent surfing contest guarantees tail-wagging enjoyment: The Flagler Seaside Town Commission on March 24 OK’d the city’s initially Cling 8 Dog Browsing Competition.
“It is wholesome, it’s lighthearted, it really is almost everything you would want.”
— ERIC COOLEY, town commissioner
The opposition, to be held from 8 a.m. to about 2 p.m. on Could 21 at the Fifth Avenue South Dune Walkover Seashore, will reward animal rescue companies.
City Commissioner Eric Cooley introduced the proposal before the fee at a March 24 conference. The greatest browsing area is in a stretch of seaside that doesn’t typically make it possible for canine, so holding the celebration there requires the commission’s acceptance to waive the no-canine rule.
The fee granted it unanimously, with Cooley abstaining from the vote since he’s organizing the occasion.
Cooley explained he’d listened to about these kinds of competitions in other parts of the condition.
“I came across this ridiculous strategy that folks are doing, primarily on the West Coastline, of browsing with their canines,” he claimed. “And then, in addition to browsing with the canine, they are truly allowing the pet dogs do the surfing, and it is catching on.”
Then Cooley saw a competition at the Guy Harvey Vacation resort in St. Augustine, exactly where 1 is held each fall.
“It was it was stunning. It was absurd. But then it was it was also wonderful, since you might be you are bringing in families, it is wholesome, it’s lighthearted, it can be almost everything you would want,” Cooley mentioned. “Just to give you an plan, they have a pet dog kissing booth — which we are heading to do.”
Commissioners and viewers associates laughed.
“Yeah. It wasn’t pretty preferred, but it did get made use of,” Cooley claimed.
There was also a pet dog costume contest, and an exhibition of other kinds of canine talent.
“A whole lot of the puppies that present up for these are multitalented canine,” Cooley stated. “There are frisbee puppies, there are showmanship dogs.”
Commission Chairman Ken Bryan claimed Cooley looks to have the event labored out.
But, Bryan added, “I am gonna deliver my cat in, Max, and smoke all people dogs!”
Dogs will be necessary to be up on their vaccinations and friendly with other dogs and with individuals, Cooley mentioned. They’re going to be leashed when not competing.
Cooley stated that the Fifth Street area was chosen because the wave action in that region is fair, and the slope of the seashore is gradual.
“We require to have minimal newborn waves for minor child puppies,” he mentioned.
There will be spotters all along the beach where by the puppies are browsing, he said, considering the fact that the dogs’ humans won’t necessarily be right beside them — some dogs can pull their individual boards out.
“They tie a tennis ball with a string to the close of the board, the dog grabs it and goes out and gets on it himself, and the entrepreneurs never do just about anything,” Cooley reported.
Commissioner Jane Mealy questioned if the town could notify persons about the event in advance of time, so that folks who generally use that section of the seashore but aren’t comfortable with puppies will not get there and find by themselves astonished by a beach full of wave-driving canines.
“I think we should let people know,” she explained. “Some form of a indicator or one thing.”
Mayor Suzie Johnston mentioned notices could be posted to the metropolis web site and city-affiliated Facebook pages, and signs could be placed on the beach.
The pet dog browsing dialogue fell late in the commission meeting, and only just one member of the public resolved the fee about it for the duration of the public comment interval in advance of the vote.
“C’mon, it is browsing canines! It’s half a block, half a working day,” resident Anthony Cinelli explained. “I believe we can do this. Surfing puppies! How great is that?”
Cooley mentioned that 1 of the causes he’d moved to Flagler Seashore was that the city is so dog-welcoming.
“There is only so quite a few puppy-friendly beach locations in Florida, and it really is a major draw,” Cooley said. “And it it drives tourism and drives a great deal of people today here. It’s a novelty, and it functions truly very good. It can be element of our character and element of our appeal.”
