Surf's Up for Dog Lovers

Ed Presnillo, Cox Business High Cap Disconnect Coordinator, was on his way back from Las Vegas in 2011, when he dropped into the Lancaster home of a Baptist minister and a 94-pound black lab named Kole. Presnillo came across the two-year-old Kole on Craigslist, and set up a meeting with the minister on his trip to Las Vegas. When they met, Ed had an immediate connection with Kole. Presnillo’s last dog, Charlie, passed in 2004, and it was time for him to bring a canine companion back into his life. He was excited to bring Kole home and begin their journey to the California surf.

Over the next five years, Presnillo and Kole went on many walks at the beach in Oceanside and Del Mar. Both love the surf, and often Kole would be seen sporting a ball cap and sunglasses, garnering attention as the coolest dog on the beach. Presnillo’s other passion is creating ball caps for dogs to help protect their eyes from the sun.

“Dogs wearing a cap are more approachable, friendlier and calm,” said the 19-year Cox employee, who can also be seen wearing stylish hats around the office.

Currently, Presnillo and his wife are working with dog rescues to train some of the dogs to wear a cap during their adoption events. They have had some positive results finding forever homes for longtime residents of the rescue.

This past summer he heard about a surfing competition sponsored by the Helen Woodward Animal Center and came across SoCal Surf Dogs, a club for surfing dogs and their owners. The club was offering dog surfing lessons and decided to sign up with Kole.

To surf, Kole (with his life jacket on) must stand on the board and be pushed out past the break waters by Presnillo. Because of Kole’s size on an 11 ft. board, an assistant is needed to help get him onto the board. Another assistant is stationed midway to the beach, so he can retrieve Kole if he washes out early. Presnillo and his assistant would position Kole toward the beach and wait for a good rideable wave. Kole is then launched (just as a surfer would be to catch a wave) and he surfs all the way to the beach. There were some early challenges, but after the fourth class, Kole was surfing like a veteran.

“Dogs are very athletic and they can balance themselves easier than their human companions,” said Presnillo. “The more experience he gets, the more he likes it.”

He decided to enter Kole in the 11th Annual Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon competition at Dog Beach in Del Mar. “I was more anxious than Kole!” laughed Ed.

Surfing in the X-Large Dog category, Kole scored enough points on his two long rides to finish in third place, beating out 12 other surf dogs. He finished behind the Top Dog Hanzo, a Boxer, and Koa, a seasoned Golden Retriever. Not bad for his first surfing competition.

They plan on entering more surf competitions in the future. In fact, Presnillo bought a new paddle board just for Kole.

“The more you get involved with your dog; the greater the bond," said Presnillo.

Hang Ten Kole and Ed!