Curbside Comfort

CURBSIDE COMFORT - HOUSE CALLS & SCHOOL VISITS

One-on-one outdoor canine therapy visits for kids with
special needs, military, adaptive surfers, families, teachers & anyone else!

Social distancing doesn't apply to dogs!

As Covid-19 cases spike across the country, millions of families are experiencing high anxiety as they struggle with the decision of sending their kids back to school. Teachers are stressed as they weigh the risks and benefits of returning to their classrooms. Kids are in angst because there are so many unanswered questions of what their school year will look like.

All these feelings and uncertainty are causing great physical, psychological and emotional distress. A such, Ricochet is offering FREE outdoor house calls and school visits in the San Diego area. There is nothing like the connection, comfort and healing she can provide during in-person interactions. In addition, she is providing FREE virtual canine therapy, Zoom activities & distance learning to all individuals, families & teachers around the world.

Ricochet visits one-on-one with an individual or members of the same family outside their home. At schools, she meets outside with a classroom and interacts with each child and teacher individually. As they pet, hug and cuddle her, she provides the physical and emotional closeness that social distancing hasn't allowed. Her calm demeanor of contentment and support afford a person's emotions to be safely released as they are spun into a cocoon of comfort.

Ricochet NEEDS physical interaction to thrive... and so do people. After nine weeks of isolation due to social distancing from the Covid-19 pandemic, Ricochet finally started in-person canine therapy visits!

Social distancing and isolation are creating other issues that are harmful to our physical and emotional health. During March 2020, the Disaster Distress Helpline saw a 338 percent increase in call volume compared with February 2020.

The virus is not transmitted from dogs to humans. Although there has been a handful of animals that tested positive for corona because their owners had covid-19, it is rare. The virus is spread from person to person.

Now that states are reducing restrictions and opening back up, we did research, received guidance from a veterinarian and thought long and hard about resuming Ricochet’s essential work that benefits people greatly.

If she continues to isolate, we are afraid she will shut down and check out. So, we have concluded that the benefit outweighs the risk. This is a personal decision based on the best interest of Ricochet and those that need her.

As such, we are adding house calls (“curbside comfort”) to our virtual canine therapy programs. Ricochet will visit one-on-one with an individual outside their home. This initiative was established with safety protocols as the number one priority for Ricochet, her handler, and everyone she interacts with. The safety criteria include:

Safety Protocols

Visits must be held outdoors
Individuals must not be sick
Individuals must not have been exposed to anyone with covid-19 in the last 14 days
Individuals must remain at least six feet away from each other unless they are from the same family
Individuals must wear masks
Hands must be washed and/or sanitized before the individual approaches Ricochet
Disposable gloves must be put on right before touching Ricochet
No face-to-face contact
Gloves must be removed and disposed of immediately after the interaction
Hands must be washed and/or sanitized immediately after removing the gloves
Slip lead must be used during interaction and washed afterwards
Ricochet's handler will wear a mask or face shield and practice social distancing of six feet

From the beginning, we have said this is a time where therapy dogs are needed most, but programs all over the world were suspended because of social distancing. We got creative and developed virtual canine therapy programs. To learn more about our virtual options, please visit virtual canine therapy, video call with Ricochet and activities with Ricochet for school kids.

Cost

We don't charge for these sessions, however, donations are always accepted and appreciated. Your tax deductible donation will help Ricochet provide services to the populations she serves which include kids with autism or other special needs, people with adaptabilities, wounded warriors, veterans with PTSD, foster kids, adaptive surfers and more. Thanks for your support!

Video demos

Please watch these videos prior to your visit with Ricochet.

Ricochet's healing

HEALING
Ricochet has been helping people through her heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul connections for over 11 years. She’s like a mirror to the people with whom she interacts, reflecting their feelings with a sense of confidence. As such, she can help people go inward to find a place of peace while, at the same time, moving outward through their greatest fears. On most occasions Ricochet can sense subtle changes in people’s physiological, psychological, and emotional well-being—even if those changes aren’t obvious to the people experiencing them.

She has a wide spectrum of incredibly powerful healing abilities including empathy, spiritual mastery, divine energy and intuitive abilities. She’s able to relieve anxiety, transform blockages, lessen painful memories, bring comfort, decrease physical ailments, reduce trauma, alert to PTSD triggers, release fear and more. She has the power to heal from a distance and doesn’t need to be physically face-to-face to get results. It doesn't matter what you need healing for... her healing will go where you most need it, and typically way beyond the surface… She goes to your soul… to your core.

RICOCHET'S BACKGROUND
Ricochet is a 12-year-old female golden retriever. She’s part of our non-profit, Puppy Prodigies. Our programs are rooted in the human-canine bond and dedicated to helping individuals grow in mind, body and spirit through the unconditional love and acceptance only a dog can provide. Ricochet offers a non-judgmental environment of support and comfort where emotions can be safely released. Participants are spun into a cocoon of positive energy, healing and recovery.

RICOCHET'S CONNECTIONS
Ricochet has a mystifying ability to make immediate heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul connections with everyone she encounters. When she meets a person it’s like they’re a book and she reads the whole book in a matter of seconds. She intuitively and empathically alerts to their emotional and physical changes which allows for profound human-animal healing interventions. She balance boards, and lives!

Ricochet has been a certified goal-directed therapy dog with Pawsitive Teams for over 11 years. She's also certified with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and holds the title of AKC Therapy Dog Distinguised (THDD). You can check out her full ruff'sume here!

Ricochet has worked with service members and veterans with PTSD for over eight years. She also serves people with different abilities, kids with autism & special needs, wounded warriors and anyone else who needs healing. Ricochet's experience with PTSD gives her the expertise to provide support to doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who develop PTSD from the Covid-19 pandmeic. Once it's over, she will be offering face-to-face canine therapy to those who were on the front line.