Top dogs were seen riding waves at the annual World Dog Surfing Championships as hundreds of spectators cheered – and barked – from a northern California beach. The World Dog Surfing Championships take place in Pacifica, California (Haven Daley/AP) (Haven Daley/AP Photo/Haven Daley)The dogs, sporting their colourful life vests, stood ready on their surfboards and were assisted by human participants, who spotted the best wave to carry the board to the beach. A dog catches a wave in California (Haven Daley/AP) (Haven Daley/AP Photo/Haven Daley)Small, medium and large-sized dogs competed in heats and then the highest scoring dogs in each heat faced off for the top prize. The day also included tandem contests, where multiple dogs, as well as dogs and humans, shared the surfboard. Rusty’s life jacket was green with animal print and a shark fin sticking up out of his back and his goggles gave the impression he was a fierce competitor for the small-sized and tandem dog competitions.