This past weekend, we spent the morning out at Dana Point Harbor SUP-ing and kayaking! 26 humans and 16 dogs met up with us at Pure Watersports in Dana Point Harbor to enjoy a beautiful day out on the water. The weather was perfect, the pups looked totally cute in their life vests and it was awesome to come together for some outdoor fun! We wanted to share an event recap complete with photos and highlights from the day. For those of you who attended, hopefully this helps you relive the fun from that day. And those who didn’t, we hope this inspires you to join us next time we get together!
PADDLE WITH PUPS
If you’ve never tried SUP (short for Stand Up Paddleboarding) it’s exactly what it sounds like (standing up and paddling through the water on a board). If you’re not good with balance, it’s could be a bit tricky to get the hang of. So adding a pup to the mix of balancing on a board definitely makes things interesting!
The best way to start SUP-ing with a pup is to start sitting down as you paddle with your pup in front of you – similar to if you were in a canoe or kayak. As you progress in your skill, you can then paddle on your knees and eventually standing.
Check out our owner Michael with his pup, Camden, showing us how it’s done!
There was definitely a mix of our event attendees trying SUP-ing while others chose to do some single and tandem kayaks. Overall, everyone did amazing and for a lot of people it was their first time trying both activities… so kuddos for getting out there and trying new things!
Taking photos turned out to be pretty tricky because once everyone was in the water, they were paddling away. So I definitely had to improvise to get some good photos, get in a kayak and paddle out to take all of these photos. I’m so happy we were able to capture these memories for everyone and I was totally gushing over how cute all the pups were out on their boards!
SCROLL THROUGH these photos of everyone in action:
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Obviously seeing everyone with their pups out on the water was a huge event highlight! As a I said before, for a lot of attendees, it was the first time ever trying this with their dogs. So it was just so cool to see everyone make memories with their doggos.
Another really fun event highlight was our little set up we had for everyone upon arrival. All attendees were greeted with sailboat themed bandanas for their pups and given raffle tickets for complimentary raffle prizes. We had some beverages available and pups and their owners were able to socialize before we gave away our raffle prizes.
We also had a Wheel of Fun for each pup, and they won prizes like tug toys, tennis balls, puppuccinos, Crafted Dog Treats and more! Once all our pups were decked out and had their prizes, we went on to our raffle for their humans.
We had some amazing event sponsors that generously donated raffle items ranging from canine massages to gift bags full of treats and more! All of our event sponsors are local to the Orange County area and small businesses. Definitely ones that you want to check out! See who supported this event below and find out more info about each of their businesses via their links:
CALI RAW
Based on Newport Beach, Cali Raw offers raw dog food that is made of human grade ingredients for a complete and balanced diet – delivered to your door.
CRAFTED DOG TREATS
Cali Raw’s sister company, Crafted Dog Treats makes single ingredient healthy treats for dogs. They’re sourced in the USA, nutritious and treats you can trust.
J & S PAWTIQUE
Based in Mission Viejo, J & S Pawtique offers handmade over the collar dog bandanas, bow ties and more! This mother-daughter team offers affordable and fun designs perfect for your pup.
PET WANTS – SOUTH COUNTY
South Orange County’s Pet Wants has fresh and nutritious pet food with free local delivery and a showroom in Rancho Santa Margarita. You’re likely to see their dog food truck at a local farmers market!
HAPPY PAWS CBD DOG TREATS
Made from help oil for dogs responsibly sourced in Oregon, Happy Paws Dog Treats is local to Southern California and has a goal to support a happy, healthy life for dogs and puppies everywhere.
MUTTS AND MUSCLES
Promoting PAWsitive vibes only, Mutts and Muscles is an OC based canine bodywork and massage company that is mobile, working out of their iconic van. Treat your pup to massage, red light therapy, cold laser and more!
A HUGE THANK YOU to all of our sponsors that worked with us for our Paddle With Pups event! If you are a small business owner, local to the Southern California area or are interested in partnering with us, we’d love to hear from you! Please send an email to lindsey@ocpupscouts.com to inquire about collaborations.
THANKS FOR READING AND JOINING US OUT IN THE COMMUNITY!
SINCERELY,
CAMDEN (OUR OC PUP SCOUTS MASCOT)
AUTHOR’S NOTES & DISCLOSURE: The opinions of this blog post are based on personal experiences. All affiliations are suggested based on collaborative efforts and have not been paid for or should be considered as paid advertisements. OC Pup Scouts is not to be held liable should you have a negative personal experience with any of these businesses we have mentioned as they are independent and in no way affiliated with our company.
