After a Decade-Long Surfing Journey, Human?s Furry Friend Retires With Historic Win at Huntington Beach

Going out with a bang is something rare in sports. But for one particular champion, it seemed like an easy enough feat. In the incredible world of dog surfing, there is a name that continues to make a splash in her performances – Cherie. With her love for the water and her unremarkable skills, she continues to capture the hearts of spectators around the world.

The winners of the annual dog surfing competition have been announced and for the 2nd year running Cherie, the French bulldog extraordinaire, has surfed her way to victory. With an adorable face and outstanding moves, Cherie has successfully defended her small dog title at Huntington State Beach along with her owner, Dan Nykolayko.

Cherie’s 2nd consecutive triumph

After successfully winning the small dog title last year, Cherie had an uphill task of defending her title. All dogs taking part in the competition had to compete in 10-minute heats and the top two dogs made it to the finals. In this year’s finals, Cherie, popularly known as The Big Kahuna, got the better of Gidget, a female pug that was trained by Alecia Nelson.

While analyzing the competition, Cherie’s owner, Dan, stated in an interview with LA Times, “The conditions weren?t great for his Frenchie, but they also weren?t rough. It was very calm, and you kind of had your pick of wave.”?He further added, ?They weren?t super-big, but that?s fine with me, because I have a 29-pound French bulldog.?. But as all good things come to an end, this was Cherie’s final season competing. After a decade-long career, the four-legged surfing legend and Dan have decided to hang up her board and retire at the end of this year.

Cherie’s beautiful decade-long surfing journey

Cherie, now 11 years old, started her dog surfing journey at the Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon event in Del Mar, a decade ago. Cherie was rescued by Dan Nykolayko in 2011 and, according to him, since the very first time she saw a beach, she fell in love with water. Upon a friend’s suggestion, Dan enrolled her in a dog surfing program and the rest is history.

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Dan announced that The Big Kahuna’s last competition will again be in Del Mar, which is the same event where she started 11 years ago. A perfect full-circle moment. Over the years, Cherie has raised thousands of dollars for charity while competing in several events. Dan and Cherie are evidence that with the right partner, no wave in life is too high to surf.

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