R.I.P. Ricochet | FIDO Friendly

R.I.P. Ricochet

Issue 92

• Feature
• by Elise Phillips Margulis

Millions Love & Remember Ricochet the Surf Champion & Therapy Dog

By Elise Phillips Margulis – Photos Judy Fridono

Ricochet the surfing dog rode a wave into the hearts of millions by planting four paws on her board and gliding through the ocean. She was 15 when she passed away from liver cancer in April after helping countless people.

Ricochet’s human mom, Judy Fridono, volunteered for Pawsitive Teams, a service and therapy dog organization. Fridono had worked with therapy dogs for 18 years when she created her non-profit Puppy Prodigies to train service dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs. 

Fridono explained, “A client of Pawsitive Teams named Patrick Ivison was waiting for a service dog, and I knew when I met him that Ricochet should work with him because Patrick was an adaptive surfer. It was synchronicity as was the whole journey with Ricochet!”

According to Social Surf Dogs, dog surfing began in the 1930s. However, Ricochet was the first ever canine-assisted surf therapy dog. Fridono was training her to be a service dog, but her job of “SURFice” dog began when she jumped on Patrick’s surfboard.

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