SUPs and PUPs is one of the new classes Eugene Recreation will offer next summer. The class will instruct people and their dogs how Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUPS) with your dog (PUPs). To determine the practicality of such a class, Recreation staff tried a 2-hour class prototype. The prototype tested the everything, including the sheer logistics of getting people and dogs aboard Recreation Vans to the lake and back.
The beginning and intermediate SUP classes Eugene Recreation offered for the first time this fall were very popular and many paddleboarders asked about bringing Fido along.
Stand-Up Paddleboarding uses a board similar to a surfboard, but bigger. The paddleboarder stands on the board and, using a long-handled paddle, moves around in the water. Dogs can sit or lie down on the “nose” of the board and enjoy the ride. Of course, sudden movements could destabilize the board, sending both human and dog into the water.
Among the questions the prototype class addressed were:
1. How many dogs and patrons can fit comfortably in a Recreation bus?
2. How to instruct patrons plus their dogs?
3. Dogs and their owners are going to have different levels of comfort, how do we address this possible challenge?
Pick up the summer Recreation Guide next June to register for SUPS_PUPS.