A challenge has been issued to BBC newsreader Simon McCoy after his stone-faced coverage of the World Dog Surfing Championships went viral.
"Simon McCoy, I'm Michael and this is Abbie, winner of the dog-surfing contest that you mocked," owner Michael Uy said in response to the BBC report. "Abbie challenges you to a man versus dog surf-off at the contest in Huntington Beach, California, on Sept. 23 where you can defend the honor of the BBC and professional journalism."
The annual World Dog Surfing Championships garnished national attention when it returned to Pacifica on Aug. 5. Good Morning America, the Today Show the Guardian, Huffington Post and other outlets covered the eccentric Northern California event, but McCoy's lackluster response really gave the Internet something to talk about.
While seemingly unimpressed with the feat, McCoy might have trouble keeping up with surf dog Abbie if the challenge is accepted.
In addition to being the two-time winning champion of the World Dog Surfing Championships, the Australian Kelpie holds the Guinness World Record for longest wave surfed by a canine and is an inductee into the International Surfing Museum's Walk of Fame.
Abbie was originally adopted from the Humane Society of Silicon Valley.
