During her time at Natural Balance Pet Foods, Special Projects Manager and San Marino local Kathy Sun has seen dogs skateboard, dive, skimboard and, thanks to this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade float, surf.
“Every year we try to outdo ourselves,” said Sun, who has worked with Natural Balance for four years, as long as they have had floats in the parade. “Next year, who knows what we’ll do.”
This year’s float, titled "Surf's Up," featured surfing dogs and was a favorite with crowds and the Tournament, winning the Extraordinaire Trophy for most spectacular entry.
Sun helps with various roles for the Natural Balance float, from marketing and public relations to logistics like coordinating builders, riders and even a casting call for the dogs that got to hang 10 on the float in front of thousands of fans.
Tillman, the world’s fastest skateboarding dog, is a regular part of the Natural Balance floats and has also shown off his skimboard and surf skills. You can see him in action in the video attached to this article.
Natural Balance originally set world records for the longest float in 2010 and the , but "Surf's Up" smashed both those records, making it the world’s longest and heaviest float.
A representative from the Guinness Book of World Records visited the float and made it official. "Surf's Up" measured 119 feet and 7 inches and weighed 131,950 pounds, including 6,600 gallons of water.
Sun said ideas for the fun, large-scope Natural Balance floats began with the company’s President, Joey Herrick, who was driving in his car when he thought of including skateboarding dogs on a Rose Parade float.
Now that one of their biggest events of the year is over, Sun will focus on the next big Natural Balance event, Bark in the Park.
Correction: The original version of this article identified the Natural Balance Pet Foods President as Joey Kerrick. Patch apologizes for the error.
