“It’s incredible!” exclaimed Rebekah Abern as she surfed the waves of California for the first time with an unlikely instructor: Chupacabrah, a black goat who accompanies her to the sea. The one-year-old Chupacabrah played a fundamental role in Abern’s maritime foray: teaching him that despite the sea’s ups and downs, one must relax to maintain balance.
“She knew how to position herself, it’s obvious she has practice,” Abern said in Pismo Beach, a resort town about 175 miles (285 km) from Los Angeles. “You can tell he was having a good time.” The idea of involving goats in surfing came from Dana McGregor, a 44-year-old California teacher who saw the species’ characteristics as a learning opportunity. “They have incredible balance,” McGregor said.
“They have hooves to hold onto the board.” Butn couldn’t be more excited: “Surfing with goats? “It’s crazy!” she said loudly with her friend Elizabeth French, who also jumped into the sea alongside the calm Chupacabrah. McGregor’s relationship with these four-legged friends began in 2011 when he bought a goat to eat the weeds that were infesting his mother’s house. The animal’s target was the grill, but the surfer loved it and adopted it as a pet. On one of his birthdays, McGregor had the idea to take the goatee surfing, and to his surprise, the goatee caught his first wave without any problems.
“I felt like I was in heaven, but on earth, like something supernatural had happened. Goatee passed away some time ago, but the emotional bond with the species remained, and the surfer adopted other goats with whom he enjoyed endless water adventures. Animals are protagonists in her social networks as well as in the two children’s books she has written.
