Surfing dogs: Two surfing French bulldogs dazzle holiday crowds

Two fearless French bulldogs have been spotted carving through waves, leaving holiday crowds in awe.

The athletic pair-turned social media surfing sensations are Bosco and Treasure.

The Frenchies, often seen sporting life jackets, grew up on a boat based in Russell and Paihia.

The man behind the surfing pups, Dylan Bacher, told the Herald the skill came naturally to his canines.

“They’ve been living on a boat and doing an adventurous lifestyle with me their whole lives.

“I take them everywhere,” Bacher said.

Bosco and Treasure are two French bulldogs who are keen surfers. Photo / Supplied

Bacher said Bosco was the first dog to pick up the skill, almost completely on his own, about three years ago.

“He sort of showed me in a funny way.”

He said initially, Bosco would jump on the inflatable outer tubes of the dinghy when they took trips to land.

Bacher said he started practising by balancing on the tubes before eventually transitioning to a surfboard.

The dogs are at home on the inflatable. Photo / Supplied

“We used to go really slowly and just mooch around,” Bacher said.

After a few months, he said they built up the speed at which he was pulled, eventually resulting in the show he puts on for beach crowds today.

Bacher said sometimes Bosco barked at him to go faster so he could skim along the surface of the water and balance more easily.

“He can balance and actually steer it and do everything with it. He’s actually controlling that board.

“If I turn hard, he’ll jump on the inside of the turn on the board,” he said.

The faster the better. Photo / Supplied

Bacher said both dogs get extremely excited to hit the waves most days.

“Treasure is still learning, so she’s not quite used to doing the speed of things as Bosco and actually having the agility that he has.”

He said French bulldogs are often known to be poor swimmers, but his dogs have taken to water like fish, with Treasure swimming from just 10 weeks old.

Bacher said the process hasn’t been without falls, but neither of them has ever been injured.

Bosco and Treasure have spent their lives around boats. Photo / Supplied

He said his pups have surfed the distance between Paihia and Russell, and even surfed around cruise ships out at sea.

Bacher said they have just been permitted to pull his dogs on the surfboard out with the waka at Waitangi this year.

“It’s a beautiful day, and we’d love to get out there and do that,” he said.

Bosco has racked up over 67,000 followers across his social media channels.

“I’ve had kids and parents coming up just going, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing’, Bacher said.

“Seeing the kids and people happy, smiling, coming up and patting the dogs, acknowledging what they’re doing, that is what makes every bit of it worth it.”

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