So, how did a little red bundle of joy slated to be a service and breeder dog end up surfing for a mission?  The story of Ricochet is a touching, inspiring, and quite amazing one!

Ricochet was slated to be a service dog/breeder for people with disabilities through her owner’s non-profit organization, Puppy Prodigies (www.puppyprodigies.org). It turned out that Ricochet had plans of her own… and they didn’t include those of her owner!  Ricochet had great interest in birds and other critters, so it was decided that he could be a danger to someone with a disability.

Rather than focus on what Ricochet can’t do (become a service dog), Judy Fridono (Ricochet’s owner) focused on what she CAN do, which is surf!  So Ricochet’s title went from service dog to SURFice dog!  Rather than a litter of puppies being born… Surfin’ for Paws-abilities was born — a fundraising initiative carved out for “Ricki” through Puppy Prodigies.

From August to November 2009, Ricki raised funds for Patrick Ivison, a 15 year old quadriplegic boy.

In September 1995, when Patrick was only fourteen months old, he and his mom were walking behind a parked car.  The driver, who was arguing with his girlfriend, suddenly backed up and ran over Patrick, pinning him under the car.  The driver was uninsured.  Patrick suffered a C4-5 incomplete spinal cord injury and was diagnosed as a quadriplegic.  He has used a wheelchair ever since.  Now, at 15 years old, Patrick’s goal is to become independent by the time he finishes high school so that he can go to college. And his dream is to walk across the stage at his high school graduation. Donations supported his “Help Patrick Walk” fund which helped pay the costs of his ongoing treatment at Project Walk, an intense physical therapy program.

Ricki and Patrick tried tandem surfing (photo below), and it was a great success! Not only did they have loads of fun together, but, thanks to Ricki, over $10,000 was raised for Patrick’s physical therapy, and sponsor WebMD.com awarded a three year physical therapy grant!

Now that Ricki has raised enough money to help Patrick work toward his dream of walking, she is moving on to other ventures! Once the doggie surfing season ended, Ricki moved onto a new project… “Surfin’ Santa Paws” toy Drive!

She traded her life jacket for a Santa jacket and transformed herself into a Surfin’ Santa Paws!!  She led a holiday toy drive for kids that were in the hospital at Christmas.  Beneficiaries were Rady Children’s Hospital and Hurley’s Living The Dream Foundation, who,  along with Ricochet, delivered toys to CHOC Children’s Hospital.

In addition to the help that Ricki lends those who need it, she has also helped an unsuspecting woman in the process.  Judy says that Ricki has taught her the most valuable lessons. “For the first 18 months of her life, I was trying to make her something she wasn’t… a service dog.  She has strong chase drive, and I worked very hard to train her to control her impulses around birds and other small animals.  We did pretty well, but I put a lot of pressure on both her and myself,” says Judy.

“I finally realized that it could be dangerous to match her with a person with a disability in the event she did take off after a bird.  Instincts are strong, and you never know what could happen.  I was extremely disappointed that she couldn’t be a service dog but decided to focus on what she COULD do, rather than what she couldn’t.”  It was then that Judy realized that Ricki had taught her something priceless.

Judy continued, “I still wanted her to do something meaningful with her life, and one of the things she does well is surf.  The day after my decision, I was sitting in front of the computer, and before I knew it, ‘Surfin’ for Paws-abilities’ was created, along with an entire website.  It was like I was being channeled by a higher power, as none of the ideas seemed to be mine… they were just flowing.”

Judy realized that Ricki was meant to do this with her life.  Once Judy took the time to listen to Ricki, everything became crystal clear.  “She had much bigger plans for her life than I could have ever imagined.  I believe animals come into our lives to teach us lessons, and Ricochet has taught me a great one!  Don’t try and change a being because they’re perfect the way they are.  She has accomplished some amazing things with Patrick.  Everything just sort of came together, and the first time she and Patrick were in the water together, it was like she was born for that very day.  She was a completely different dog… full of joy and enthusiasm.  She bonded with him immediately and absolutely adores him.  This is her life… this is what she was meant to do, and I couldn’t be more proud and honored that she picked me to facilitate her mission.”

When Ricki’s not surfing or fundraising, she is involved in goal-assisted therapy work with children through Pawsitive Teams.  She also enjoys playing in her free time with Judy… Ricki enjoys dock jumping, lure coursing, and chasing birds very, VERY much!  Judy’s dedication to Ricki and her mission, alongside her own amazing talents and selflessness, have helped Patrick and many others.  Ricki and Judy provide hope to people, all the while strengthening their own bond and having fun.

Watch Ricki on video!

Tags: Celebrity Dog, dog surfing. Ricochet. Rip Curl