An internet sensation, Ricochet is a 10-year old Golden Retriever and one of America’s most beloved therapy dogs. In 2009, Ricochet made an independent decision to jump on a surfboard with a boy who is quadriplegic. Since then, she has surfed with hundreds of individuals, and became the only SURFice dog® on the planet who provides canine assisted surfing to empower and improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, cognitive, or emotional disabilities. Although surfing has been at the forefront of Ricochet’s work, it’s not the act of surfing that makes her interactions so life changing. It’s her mystifying ability to make immediate, deep, heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul connections with the individuals she interacts with, both in and out of the water. She intuitively and empathically alerts to their emotional and physical changes which allows for profound paws-on healing interventions.

Ricochet’s newest initiative is her Waves of Empowerment program. Veterans with PTSD and kids with special needs are paired for a day of mentoring through canine assisted surfing, paddling, swimming, playing and therapy… taking them from the battleground to the playground! She is also an American Humane Association hero dog, ASPCA dog of the year, holds the AKC award for Canine Excellence, is an inductee in the California Veterinary Medical Association’s Hall of Fame, is an official Team USA Adaptive Surfing member and sits in two surf dog Hall of Fames. She lives a lifestyle of helping others by ‘pawing it forward’ while raising awareness & over 1/2 million dollars for human/animal causes.  Find out more about Ricochet’s work!