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WELCOME!
I'm really stoked you surfed over to my website! Thank you for wanting to learn more about me, the SURFice dog work I do, my philanthropy, my initiatives, and my surfing for fun and competition. Because of my unique, and highly skilled background of service/therapy/surf dog training, I'm the only known dog in the world who surfs with special needs kids, people with disabilities and wounded warriors as an assisitive aid... my signature stoke! I'm able to counter-balance the surfboard to keep them from falling off, and I adjust my surfing style based on each individual's disability too! A great combinaton of the healing power of the ocean, and the healing power of a dog! I also surf for fun & win surf dog contests! I'm a pretty well rounded surFUR, and besides surfing in dog competitions, I have surfed with celebrities, pro surfers, other dogs and even a goat! Every once in a while you may catch me surfing backwards too! Paw-abunga! More details about me can be found on my page Who is Surf Dog Ricochet. But, for now... I'm an internationally renowned, award winning, 5 year old golden retriever surf dog who has become an inspirational phenomenon, philanthropic role model, internet sensation, fundraising marvel, community advocate, goodwill ambassador, and muse to millions! But, mom says I'm just an ordinary dog, with an extra-ordinary spirit. I've been in media all over the world, including the Oprah Winfrey Network, People Magazine, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and many more. You can find the complete list on my Media/Pawparazzi page. I'm a dog who stayed true to herself despite the expectations of others. I stayed true to myself despite being sensitive, and not standing up for myself when bullied by other dogs. Mom wanted me to be a service dog, but I wanted something very different! She wanted me to make a difference in one person's life, but I wanted to make a difference in millions of people's lives! When mom let go of who SHE wanted me to be, and just let me be... I completely flourished. My first adaptive surfing experience was August 20, 2009 with Patrick Ivison, a quadriplegic surfer. The original plan was to surf the same wave, but on our individual boards. We did that a few times, but then one time when we reached shore, I took a leap of faith (literally), and jumped off my board, and onto his. I saw a lightbulb above mom's head... She was finally understanding what I was born to do! My dream of surfing to help others was finally coming true!! Since then, I've surfed with a number of kids with special needs, people with disabilities & wounded warriors. I've also been raising awareness and funds for human/animal causes. On July 25, 2011, Twenty one months after my first adaptive surfing experience... I raised my $100,000th dollar for Patrick the Miracle Dog! Bringing my fundraising journey full circle! I've held over 50 fundraisers, and raised funds/awareness for more than 150 human/animal causes. I've now raised almost $300,000!! Visit my Surfin' for Paws-abilities page to learn more about how I'm living a lifestyle of helping others by pawing it forward, while raising awareness & funds for human/animal causes. Also, check out my Surfing for fun & competition page to find out more about the surf competitions I enter/win. My SURFice dog initiatives are part of my alma mater, Puppy Prodigies, a 501(c)3 non profit organization that focuses on early puppy development, and serves as a resource to puppies born in many different circumstances, such as service dog organizations, shelters, rescues, etc. I'm probably best known for my inspirational video, "From Service dog to SURFice dog". It went viral on YouTube, and touched the lives of millions of people all over the world. Since it's gotten so much exposure, I immediately turned it into a platform to help others on a larger scale by re-directing the attention to additional human and animal causes.
"Thank you Ricochet, Judy & Rob for making this such a pawmazing day!!! I was having such a tough time getting up on the board with that strong current and those rough waves, but woo-hoo Ricky.... you came to the rescue! Thank you for helping me balance the board (I could feel you shifting your weight to keep us upright) and by allowing me to hold on to your cute furry behind I could feel my center of gravity. The thrill of standing on the wave with you all the way in to shore was incredible!!! I love your sweet & giving spirit. Your concentration when you are surfing is something I aspire to! You are truly the best SURFice dog ever. So Much Love, One-Legged Jo"
I'm a canine good citizen, and a certified goal directed therapy
dog through Pawsitive
Teams. I volunteer with their Balboa
Rehab Program that partners with staff Recreation Therapists from the Naval
Medical Center, and I get to work with active duty Wounded Warriors affected
by PTSD, TBI, amputations and other forms of medical trauma. I'm the
ambassador for the
Jimmy Miller
Memorial Foundation's Ocean Therapy
program, working with the marines at Camp Pendleton. I surf for fun, and win contests too. I usually place in the top three, but 2012 was my best competition year where I won 1st place at Loews and first place at Helen Woodward's Surf dog Surf-a-thon. I also won 1st place with my littermate, Kalani at the 2010 Loews Surf Dog Competition. At the 2009 Helen Woodward Surf dog Surf-a-thon, I came in 2nd overall. I won 3rd place in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge in 2009 and 2010, and 2nd in 2011. I've won several other surf dog contests, and have been awarded several top fundraiser awards, a couple top dog awards, and the prestigious AKC Award for Canine Excellence, as well as the American Humane Associations Hero Dog Award, and Dog of the Year from the ASPCA. You can learn all the details on my "Surfin' & Fundraising Awards" page. Be sure to check out all my photos, videos and pages, including my Surfin' for Paws-abilities initiative, the causes I support page, and my Surfing for fun & competition page. Surf's up..................!!
In September, 2009,
I was
used as extras for the surfing scenes in the Marmaduke Movie.
Web design, all content, pictures and videos on this website
are
©copyrighted and strictly prohibited to be used
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I'm a specially trained dog, and started learning the day I was born! I have
the temperament, and advanced training of a service dog. But, because I
enjoy chasing critters, I couldn't be a traditional service dog. So Puppy
Prodigies coined the name SURFice dog(sm) especially for me, and it even came
with a service mark! Because I'm a pretty good
surfer, and enjoy working with the adaptive surfing community, and special
needs kids... the name
really fits. I like it because it really describes what I do with one word. SURFice!!
