Ricochet Gets Paws Wet for a Cause

Ricochet may be a surFUR girl, but riding waves isn’t all fun to her – she’s hanging 20 to help a fellow surfer.

The Golden Retriever will compete in the October 11 Surf City Surf Dog event in Huntington Beach to raise funds for Patrick Ivison, 15, a quadriplegic surfer. Proceeds will help Patrick pay for his service dog Kona and physical therapy that teaches him to walk.

Patrick and Ricochet will also pair up on a surfboard for a demonstration before the finals. 

The two started tandem surfing this year, and quickly figured out their roles on the waves. While Ricochet can’t turn the surfboard, Patrick can steer while the pup aids in keeping the board from flipping over.

“Ricochet knows how to balance,” Patrick said. “We almost fell once and she totally stepped on the other side to make us balance. It’s kind of trippy, to be honest.”

Patrick added he doesn’t know if Ricochet understands what she’s doing but she makes the right moves often. She will ride the board standing backwards, hang half her body off the board or sit on Patrick. When the wave ends, Ricochet “flips out,” and barks furiously until they return to the waves.

The teenager met Ricochet earlier this year when Patrick was getting a service dog.

Ricochet herself was part of a service dog program called Puppy Prodigies Neo-Natal & Early Learning Program. Judy Fridono raised Ricochet, intending her to be a service dog and have service dog puppies. But Ricochet has a strong instinct to chase animals, which makes her too risky to people in wheelchairs. Fridono was also afraid Ricochet would pass her prey drive to her puppies. 

So Fridono decided instead of having Ricochet become a service dog, she would be a SURFice dog who would surf in competitions and raise money for causes.

“This is what she was meant to do with her life,” Fridono said. “All animals have a purpose and it’s up to us to listen to them.” 

Fridono trained Ricochet since she was a young puppy to walk on uneven surfaces and maneuver around obstacles. Knowing Ricochet has good balance, Fridono had the dog stand on a boogie board floating in a pool. From there, Ricochet progressed to training in the ocean.

Ricochet entered her first contest in 2008, then followed with three competitions this year. She made the semi-finals at the Surfin Paws Dog Jam. The surFUR girl shredded waves at the Helen Woodward Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon at Del Mar. Ricochet was all business as she surfed against some seasoned sea dogs and won second place. She scored a huge basket of treats that she fondly sniffed.

Fridono formed Surfing for Paws-Abilities, where she finds people to pledge a donation to a particular cause or person if Ricochet comes in third, second or first in a surf contest. The amount pledged increases the higher Ricochet places. Fridono is also seeking corporate sponsors along with donations.

Ricochet’s first fundraiser benefits Patrick, who was only a year old when a car struck him and injured his spinal cord. When Patrick was 8 years old, he learned how to surf through a group called Life Rolls On, which enables people with spinal cord injuries to participate in action sports.

Part of the funds Ricochet raises will go toward achieving Patrick’s dream – walking at his high school graduation. Patrick is learning to walk at Project Walk, an intense physical therapy program that is not covered by insurance. Fridono will accept donations through November.

Usually Patrick is strapped in a harness while an assistant moves his legs on a treadmill. But on September 22, Patrick initiated the steps by himself as he strained against a walker.

“He walked about a hard 30 steps by himself,” said Jennifer Kayler, Patrick’s mom. “I’ve maybe seen him walk a farther distance with his weight supported, but this was completely by himself using a walker and someone helping him with the walker. It was amazing.”

To learn more, visit Ricochet’s website, Rip Curl Ricki.