For over 50 years, Bill Hamilton has surfed the world’s oceans and became a legend in the sport he loves. For 11 of those years, he’s paddled out with his yellow Labrador Retriever Sava. unlike most Labs, but just like her human companion, Sava happens to hang ten with the best of them.
Print this article
For over 50 years, Bill Hamilton has surfed the world’s oceans and became a legend in the sport he loves. For 11 of those years, he’s paddled out with his yellow Labrador Retriever Sava. unlike most Labs, but just like her human companion, Sava happens to hang ten with the best of them.
Is there a story behind the name Sava?Tell us about how you and Sava first met.
Sava and I have been together for eleven years.
We first met when she was just a little puppy, about three weeks old. She was born on Kaneohe on Oahu. We were looking for a yellow Lab specifically because we had one for sixteen years and they really are beautiful dogs. A perfect breed for Hawaii because they are water dogs.
It’s actually the name of a river in Russia. Our first Lab was named Visa because we bought her with a Visa card (we had trouble naming her). I liked the “V” sound in Sava, so that’s how she got her name.
How did you discover that a dog can surf?
On Hawaii at least, dogs (though not many) have been surfing for centuries, especially on Waikiki. There are some old photos in museums of dogs surfing from the 19th and early 20th centuries. You know there’s been cats that surf, pigs and even mice. But Sava, I suspect, is one of the very few dogs on Hawaii that does surf.
How long has Sava been surfing with you?
She’s been surfing since she was six months old. When she’s surfing, all her movements are
coordinated with the waves. She really knows
how to judge the movement of the ocean. Now when I throw a stick into the water, she won’t jump in right away. She’ll study the waves, look for the breaks and then go in after it. Sometimes she just waits for the waves to bring the stick back (because she knows they will). Sava is fearless on the water and willing to surf big waves, (10+ feet high). She’s probably ridden bigger waves than any dog in the world. Dogs are loyal, and there’s a trust between us. I take her into these situations, and she’s never gotten hurt.
Sava is a Eukanuba dog.
Yes, the senior formula, which I feed her now has really changed her life in lots of ways. She’s lost about eight pounds since I’ve had her on it and she has more vitality than she’s had in three years. It’s been a complete turnaround. She’s turned into a Superdog. I’m considering eating Eukanuba myself.
How do you teach a dog how to surf?
By Sponsor Wed, Feb 16, 2011