It did not look all that good for Flagler Beach’s Hang 8 dog competition early Saturday morning. “We started the day with dread,” says Eric Cooley, “because we started the day with rain and lightning in the distance and I was up the night before till about probably midnight, checking weather.”
Cooley, the Flagler Beach commissioner and business owner, organized the competition with Mayor Suzie Johnston after the couple watched a dog-surfing event in St. Augustine last fall. They thought it’d be perfect for their town, where beach, dogs and stupid pet tricks are made for each other. But they had no idea what to expect on a shoestring budget, marketing limited to social media and the few articles Cooley’s pitch to his own city commission generated.
Even Cooley and Johnston had their doubts. “Do you think we can pull this off?” Cooley had asked her months ago. “Heck no we cant,” she told him, “but Wednesday thinks we can!” Wednesday is one of their dogs, the surfing one.
So they had reason for dread, not just about the weather. The day started “with a whole lot of stress,” Cooley said. “I mean, heck, we didn’t even know if we were even going to get any type of crowd or if anybody would even show up, it started pretty small.” That was at 8 a.m. Maybe Johnston’s worry that the event would draw no more than five participants would come true.
But before long, the sands and the boardwalk at South 5th Street were packed–a surfer described it as “a wall–of spectators–the 75 t-shirts Johnston had designed for $20 a shirt had sold out. “Once we got past the initial 8 o’clock hour, everybody started packing in,” Cooley said, as the various competitions got under way–the tandem between dog and dog owner, the small dog category, the large dog category, the costume contest.
“I was out in the water surfing with Eric and his dog Wednesday, and we looked back and the entire beach was packed, the entire boardwalk was packed. And I looked at him and I was like, we had no clue that it was going to be this big.” They’d expected 200 people. Police Chief Matt Doughney says the crowd peaked around 300, but the event lasted from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., drawing people all morning and early afternoon. Johnston says it may have drawn 1,000 people in all.
“We’ve had a lot of the local surfers that compete regularly in surf competition say that this is the largest surf competition Flagler Beach has ever done,” Cooley said.
JJ Crane had entered the tandem competition with his chiweenie–a cross between a chihuahua and a dachshund–who’d never surfed before until two days before the competition. He had the same reaction as Johnston once he got into the surf. “I turned around and looked back at the beach,” Crane said, “I was like, holy shit, there were so many people, you couldn’t see the sand.” He said it was more people than the Tommy Tant Classic would draw.
Crane and his dog Reece ended up taking gold and silver. “That vibe that’s in Flagler Beach, it was good, it felt like the old Flagler Beach.” Crane grew up there in the 1980s and 90s, back when that world was simply divided: “You were either a surfer or you weren’t.”
Carla Cline, also a Flagler Beach native and surfer who turned up for the competition as a volunteer–and who not long ago played a significant role in saving the beach–saw a natural fit for Hang 8.
“We are an established dog friendly beach town,” Cline said, “So you already have people that come and bring their dogs to our beach. We have dog friendly restaurants. We’re marketed as a dog friendly place. So you have all the people that live here that were thrilled to pieces that they get to come and bring their favorite thing in the universe and participate and show it off and stuff. I think that was the draw, like, who doesn’t love dogs?”
The event, Cooley said, has been “mandated by the public” for the future.
The surfing competition drew some 20 dogs. The donation was $20 to compete, $10 to participate in the costume contest, which drew 25 entries (Tigger won, a yellow lab dressed up as a cowboy). There was a dog-bone hunt, a hydration station, and emceeing the whole time by Travis Ajay. County commissioner Greg Hansen showed up in a referee costume. Commissioner Deborah Phillips entered the costume context. Commissioner James Sherman was a spectator.
There were no reported incidents between dogs, between dogs and humans, and,. most remarkably, between humans and humans. “It was such a happy–you want to say happy go lucky type of event, where everyone was willing to lend a hand to see it be successful,” Johnston said. One business even made dog popsicles.
“Everybody got a medal and a bandana for their dogs,” Johnston said. “It was just a really cool time to put dogs as number one one. When they say my dog digs Flagler Beach, it’s true. That’s all the what was different about it. When there’s a sporting event, families come out parents come out. And what we noticed was this event, it was dog lovers, and dog lovers are all different types of people. You have different political views. You have different family views. You have different visitors. We had people come from Miami, Jacksonville. We had lots of people stayed from out of town during the week before everyone was text messaging, text messaging us wondering, are there dog-friendly restaurants? Dog-friendly hotels?”
Johnston has no doubt Hang 8 is now on the county’s map as an annual event, with the Tourist Development Council involved in its promotion and likely its underwriting. The TDC is always on the hunt for crowd-grabbing events to bring to Flagler. The difference this time is that Hang 8 is home-grown and entirely organic–by Flagler Beach, of Flagler Beach, but for everyone.
The TDC’s Amy Lukasik set up the competition’s dog-kissing booth, just as she’d unveiled a TDC billboard promoting Flagler Beach on I-95, coincidentally, with a dog on a surf board.
The only food vendor on site was for dogs–dog snacks. The beach after the event was as if “you’d have never known that we were there. We were out of there within an hour, and you’d have never known there’d been 1,000 people on the beach.”
Cooley and Johnston expect they’ll be debriefing their commission at the next meeting Thursday, though Cooley had posted a debriefing of his own already on Facebook. At the end of a list of thanks longer than an Academy Awards speech, he reserved his ultimate compliments for his dog Wednesday, “the one who started Hang8.”
“This shedding ball of 8lbs of fury has taught me that we will never understand where the road will take us and [it’s] never easy,” he wrote. “Nor should it be. Many times looking bad as well, but if we can trust and believe in each other like she does in me to keep her safe while out on the surfboard and in life, and if we can trust and believe in each other like so many of the people listed above did for this event, its kind of amazing what can happen. A 8lb chihuahua changed a city for a day.”
The money raised went to K-9 for Warriors, Pet Rescue and the Humane Society.
Susan says
Great event do it more often.
Gina Weiss says
Absolutlely beautiful, it goes to show everyone this is how people from all walks of life can come together for the greater good and how animals are the bond between humans and the greater good of mankind who bring about happiness and compassion. Man and dogs exist as different branches of the same tree. Animals teach us about compassion, love and trust and are the therapeutic holistic link to our health and happiness. This is what Mayor Suzie Johnston and Commissioner Cooley envisioned and brought to fruition. Thanks to all the participants who came together to make this event and this future event successful. Keep spreading the love.
Gail Walton says
The signs on the boardwalk say “no animals allowed.” So, why not designate a small area for the dogs to walk on the beach with their owners? Not quite so “dog friendly.”
And, another suggestion would be to note how many miles, or portion of miles, the boardwalk is? Walkers would like to know the distance they are walking.
How about having a donation box to expand the boardwalk?? Maybe all the way to the restaurant on the south end? And Martin’s?
Jimbo99 says
Because there are folks that won’t pick up their dogs poop. And like the Holland Park incident(s), one will attack another and someone (like Danko) won’t own that responsibility without lawsuits. Dog urine, another water and beach quality health issue. Don’t get me wrong I realize that the kids are peeing in the ocean, but this will be dogs urinating on shore and in the water, there won’t be any doubt which pooch did what. With children here won’t be such ironclad evidence.
Peaches McGee says
excerpt from visitflagler.com…
“Flagler Beach has pet-friendly access, allowing dogs on the beach north of N 10th Street and south of S 10th Street. Dogs must be on leash no longer than 5 feet long. All that is asked in return, is that visitors note the signs and remember to pick up after their pet to keep our beaches beautiful.”
Gail Walton says
Thank you. I did not know this.
Brynn Newton says
Has the Pulitzer Committee seen these photos?
Excellent!
Flamingo Gary says
This could be construed as severe animal cruelty. I have had to deal with Trump, Deathsantis and now this??? Its about time to move.
Peaches McGee says
Please provide evidence of animal cruelty.
Quint says
Perhaps next year they can put a few drones in the air over the area the dogs will be in. Sharks are always in the waters near the pier and you can only see them from the air. Sure don’t want any of our Dog friends becoming a meal for JAWS.
Jane Gentile-Youd says
So so sorry I missed this incredible event but we were 36,000 feet in the air and couldn’t get the pilot to cross the Atlantic in time. What a fabulous totally unselfish heartwarming positive undertaking by these two marvelous Flagler Beach special people – Commissioner Eric and Mayor Suzie. Thank you for bringing some much needed love into our community. xoxoxoxo
Robin says
Kudos to Wednesday for encouraging her people to do this! It was such a blast!
The way the community came together was wonderful.
BJ Nagele says
Great event! Can’t wait for it to come back next year. Fabulous for first time effort on limited budget. I will be looking for ways to help next time
Mark1 says
Wreckless event being held in peak pandemic conditions. No masks being worn and people standing within inches of other breathing people. Please keep your distance and don’t get near other people
Peaches McGee says
“inches”?
Were you the dude with the ruler and no mask?