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Meet the surfing therapy dog named Ricochet
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of New York Post


New York Post, June 14, 2014
Posted: September 13th, 2015
http://nypost.com/2014/06/14/meet-the-surfing-therapy-dog-na...

Judy Fridono tells of how her dog Ricochet failed out of traditional service-dog training only to reveal a hidden talent: surfing with children with special needs. Fridono reveals the first time Ricochet hopped on a surfboard with Patrick Ivison, a quadriplegic teenager who surfed on his own with the help of a team of humans. Fridono had planned to make a video of Ricochet and Patrick surfing side-by-side, each on their own boards, to help raise money for Patricks treatment, but Ricochet had another idea. She wanted to surf tandem with Patrick. Patrick, she wants to surf with you, I said, not knowing where the words came from. Thatd be cool! Patrick grinned. Here was a boy with a disability and I was asking him and his mother and their assembled team to put their trust in a dog. All I can do is trust Ricochet to know what shes doing, I told them. Can you trust my dog? I asked 14-year-old Patrick. Sure! Lets do it! he answered without hesitation. Patricks team lifted Patrick onto the board first. Then, we let Ricochet hop on the board, and she positioned herself. The team pushed Ricochet and Patrick out on the board together. Then, in one incredible moment, Ricochet and Patrick were surfing together on the same board, riding a wave of hope that changed their lives forever. Thanks to Ricochets fundraising, Patrick was able to get physical therapy at an innovative rehabilitation center for spinal cord injuries. In 2012, he walked across the stage at his high school graduation.

Note: Judy Fridono's book about this surfing dog is titled Ricochet: Riding a Wave of Hope With the Dog Who Inspires Millions.


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