Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon delayed by pollution due to San Diego blackout

 
The sixth annual Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon, which had been set for Sunday at Dog Beach in Del Mar, has been postponed because of water pollution caused by the recent massive power blackout, organizers announced.

Billed as the largest such event in the U.S., the Surf-A-Thon was to feature such well-known surf dogs as Riccochet, Nany, Dozer and Buddy, along with the ever-popular Beach Bum Bikini Babe Canine Costume Contest.

The annual event is a fundraiser for the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe.

The event, presented by the pet-food company Eukanuba, is being rescheduled for Sept. 25. For information, visit Surfdog.kintera.org, or call (858) 756-4117 Ext. 312.

Buddy, a 13-year-old Jack Russell Terrier from Ventura, is set to become the first inductee into the Surf Dog Hall of Fame at the rescheduled event.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Two San Diego dogs, Abbie G, left, and Nani, at a surf dog contest in Huntington Beach in 2009. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times