|
|
|||
|
WHO IS SURF DOG RICOCHET?
The SURFice dog! I've been featured in hundreds of media sources all over the world showcasing and raising awareness of my causes, and my surfing, such as the Associated Press, Associated Content, The Oprah Winfrey Network, Evening News with Diane Sawyer, The Today Show, USA Today, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, Fox News, Animal Planet, and many more. For a complete list with links, please visit my Paw'parazzi page. I also try to inspire people to allow themselves and others to be who they truly are... without judgment or intention to change. To focus on what they CAN do, which allows for a celebration of amazing outcomes! I promote kindness, charity, philanthropy, and social responsibility, such as my video "It gets better: You're amazing just the way you are" for kids (and adults) who are bullied, and the sequel to my SURFice dog video, Be True to Yourself. Even though my name sounds like a boy... I'm a GIRL!! I'm a golden retriever who enjoys catching waves, and hanging 20! I'm known on the doggie surf scene as "Rip Curl Ricki", and because I'm petite, and still kind of young, I also go by "The little surFUR girl". You can call me Ricochet, Ricki, Rip Curl Ricki, Ric, Little SurFUR girl, or SURFice dog. I'll answer to "I've got a hot dog" too!
I'm a specially trained dog, with the temperament, and advanced training of a service dog. I'm also a canine good citizen, a certified goal directed therapy dog through Pawsitive Teams, and a registered therapy dog with Therapy Dogs Incorporated. My mom has an Associates Degree in Assistance Dog Training, and we work closely with our causes to customize protocols for my SURFice dog work. I was born on January 25, 2008, and was the 9th puppy in a litter of 10. I was born, and raised as part of the Puppy Prodigies Neo-Natal & Early Learning Program with hopes of becoming a service dog for a person with a disability. But, they tell me I'm a little too interested in chasing birds, and other small animals. So, my career path changed, and instead of becoming a service dog, I became a SURFice dog! Now, I have a personal initiative called "Surfin' for Paws-abilities" which raises awareness, and funds for human/animal causes. Puppy Prodigies carved out this new job for me, and I'm so happy I was able to stay involved in the program. From the moment I was born, I wanted to surf. For fun, in contests, and most of all with special needs kids & people with disabilities. But, it took 15 months to get someone to listen! 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. I defied the odds!! I escaped the fate many innocent animals have to endure. My life could have ended up very differently... maybe even tragically... if my human mom didn't allow me to be who I truly am. I could have been like millions of animals reliquished to animal shelters every year because they didn't live up to their owners expectations. If I can influence one child, change one mind, save one life... or inspires millions, I will have accomplished what I'm on this earth to do. At the beginning, I didn't live up to mom's expectations... she wanted me to be a service dog for a person with a disability. As a puppy, I was an enthusiastic learner. But, at 14 weeks of age, I lost interest in training. Mom called me lackadaisical. She tried all kinds of things to motivate me, but nothing worked. We were both frustrated & it went on for months. When I was 9 months old, I discovered birds! Now, I had something to be enthusiastic about! But, mom squashed that idea too... saying service dogs couldn't chase things. So, here we went again... learning stuff I didn't want to know. Boring! Fortunately, I was also learning to surf. That was fun. At 15 months, I was invited to the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge surf competition. I won 3rd place! It was that day on the beach when mom realized I was good at surfing, and my title changed from service dog to SURFice dog! My firstfundraiser was for Patrick Ivison, a quadriplegic adaptive surfer. The first time we surfed, the 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... was she finally understanding what I was born to do? Would she stop trying to make me a service dog, and let me live my dream of surfing to help others? SHE DID!! When mom let go of who SHE wanted me to be, and just let me be... I completely flourished. It was like I was re-born that day in the water! I still help people with disabilities, just in a very different way! Since then, I've held over 50 fundraisers, and raised almost $150,000 that benefited over 150 human & animal causes. I've won several fundraising awards, and top dog awards like the American Humane Association's Hero Dog Award, and the ASPCA's Dog of the Year. I've also won surf dog contests. I 'm living proof that if you let go of your expectations, and let others be who they truly are... it may turn out better than you could have ever imagined! If you have a dog... a cat... or any other animal... or even a human being, please give them a chance! Give yourself a chance... live your life true to yourself, and not the life others expect of you. Oh, and by the way... as a SURFice dog, I'm allowed to chase birds! Paw-abunga! I started my training at just 13 days of age, before my eyes were even open! Click here to see a video of my very first "formal" training session. As part of the Puppy Prodigies program, I was exposed to many new and exciting things in my whelping box, and then the puppy play yard. I had lots of obstacles to maneuver over, under, around, on top of, etc including swings, wobble boards, skateboards, and many other un-even surfaces. As a result, I developed an amazing sense of balance and coordination.
In the spring of 2009, I began going out to Fiesta Island again, taking small paw steps before taking the giant leap to the ruff waters of the ocean. I had been in the ocean about three times when I got a last minute call to compete in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge Surf Competition on June 12, 2009. As a result, I went to the ocean and practiced every day for a week before the contest! I was still quite a novice grom at 15 months old, but managed to win 3rd place in the large dog category, and was only one point off from the 2nd place winner. The Purina Incredible Dog Challenge invitation came at a pivotal time in my life, as it occurred during a period of serious discussions about my future. It was already evident that I wasn't fulfilling the expectations as a service dog due to my interest in chasing critters... and there was disappointment about what I couldn't do, or become. But, when I won third place that day, new thoughts of what I COULD do came to the forefront. Several weeks later the final decision about releasing me from my service dog role was made. The idea of becoming a SURFice dog was born that day on the beach during the contest, and I'm forever grateful to Purina for the invitation! Talk about new (doggie) doors opening!! As a result, my initiative Surfin' for Paws-abilities was created, and in August of 2009, I started my first fundraiser for quadriplegic surfer, Patrick Ivison. To accept another as they are meant to be
I hope you enjoy learning about my surfing adventures, surf contests, and fundraising efforts... as much as I enjoy doing them!
Ricochet
Web design, all content, pictures and videos on this website
are
©copyrighted and strictly prohibited to be used
without |
||
I'm
a multi faceted SURFice dog that has raised thousands and thousands of
dollars for charitable causes. I also inspire
millions of people with my
At 8
weeks of age, in addition to my service dog task training, I began balance
and coordination training on a boogie board in a kiddie
pool just for fun. Most of my training from that point on was conducted at home, on
dry land. Then, in the summer of 2008, I had a few practice sessions in the
calm water of Fiesta Island. 
When I'm not surfing or fund raising, I'm
involved in goal assisted therapy working with children, and active duty
members of the military who have suffered injury, TBI's or PTSD through
