Some animals are simply talented for water sports. Already as a puppy, Ricochet grabbed people’s attention for her confidence she jumped into sea waves with. Later on, she became a dog hero helping disabled and a role model for many enthusiasts who started craving for their dog to be also gifted with similar superpowers. Fortunately for them, it wasn’t enough for Ricochet’s mistress that her dog could conquer waves and started organizing special assistence courses with a slogan “Healing Power of Dogs”.
Some animals are simply talented for water sports. Already as a puppy, Ricochet grabbed people’s attention for her confidence she jumped into sea waves with. Later on, she became a dog hero helping disabled and a role model for many enthusiasts who started craving for their dog to be also gifted with similar superpowers. Fortunately for them, it wasn’t enough for Ricochet’s mistress that her dog could conquer waves and started organizing special assistence courses with a slogan “Healing Power of Dogs”.
Ricochet’s story only started with this. Since then, this ten-year-old bitch has helped hundreds of disabled children and adults get rid of their fear of water. Her canistherapy powers are so impressive that she managed to change lives of several tens of them. But in fact she herself was struggling in the beginning of her training and she was even expelled from water training for her lack of concentration. But her mistress and dog trainer Judy Fridon didn’t give up.
As well as many more golden retrievers, Ricochet excels in one more ability besides her love for water – empathy. As her mistress Judy says, she can amazingly adjust to the needs of any person at whom she feels some kind of anxiety or another problem. Judy thought it would be shame to train her “only” as a guide dog and she decided to use her talent for water activities. She supposedly throw herself to water already as a puppy and crept to water pad. To put it simply, she chose surfing alone.
The whole concept is based on one simple idea: “If a dog can do it, I can as well”. And Judy says it works. Ricochet is by the side of her clients at all times. She can spend several hours in water. She shares a surfboard with clients. Therefore, there is a constant contact and dog’s closeness has a calming influence on handicapped people. Judy and Ricochet use money from various surf competitions to help these people. And Ricochet has been attending competitions since 2009 when she was a little dog.
Her story is a proof that dogs really are man’s best friends. And they can learn everything for their master, including surfing. And they can even enjoy it and make good things happen like Ricochet. Also dog paddle boarding is becoming popular and we can try in the Czech Republic, too :) Are you in?
Every one of us has for sure encountered diarrhoea in our fuzzy friend. Usually, there’s nothing to fuss about, the body reacts to food that it isn’t capable to digest or that didn’t do it good. However, it is good to know, when we are capable of...
I have been sharing with you my experience with dogs and other animals for quite some time now and it occurred to me to wander a little bit into history as well, but into an interesting one! I’d like to introduce you to several well-known dog...
Allergy is a disproportionate reaction of the immunity system to common stimuli. It cannot be cured, but we can suppress its manifestations. In the last years, allergies in pets and dogs especially are on the rise. Currently, about 10% of house-dogs...
Today, we are going to take a look at the Feline Infectious Peritonitis - FIP, an utterly exceptional virus illness that always has a fatal end. Most of the cats get into contact with the viruses that cause FIP in their lifetime, even though the...
We can divide dog owners into two groups. The ones that allow the dog in bed and those that feel that this is no option. Let’s take a look at what such bed sharing with a dog actually entails.
If you like going on treks with your fuzzy friends, geocaching is something precisely for you. This way, you will liven up your trips and maybe you even discover places that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. I and my pack can’t get enough of it.
Contrary to dogs, cats have a strong bond with the place where they live. That’s why moving is very stressful for them and this stress may cause a number of diseases. It’s a good idea to plan everything well, so that you could make the situation of a...
Even though the dogs went through long years of domestication, they still retain fundamental instincts as we do. They might not be as strong as in wild dogs, but they still play a very significant role in the life of a dog and in their behaviour. So if...
Even though it’s been a long time since our four-legged furry friends lived a feral life, they still have the laws of the pack rooted deep down inside them. It is not acquired behaviour, the need to live in a pack is determined by genetics. And if...
It is no news that the dog isn’t only a pet and that it can also help saving human lives in various catastrophes. But have you ever thought about what it means for dogs to become rescuers? You haven’t? Well, then it’s the right time to set off together...
The usual pregnancy period in female dogs is indicated at about 58 – 65 days, the average is 63 days. In case of the nutrition of a pregnant female, possible changes in diet can be likened to the changes in diet of pregnant women. Pregnant female dogs...
The most frequent reason why your dog starts to gain weight is simple, as in most of people: they consume more energy than they spend. Some owners wave their arm at a well-intended warning that their pet has gained weight, stating that the dog is...
