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?
Cats are no longer the outside countryside homeless animals that come closer to a house just for a while when they are in the mood for it. Rather the opposite, they have started living in city flats and have adjusted to our lifestyle. However, it’s...
Rabbits are popular pets especially for city flats. It’s because they don’t require a lot of space and don’t need to go outside very often (no garden needed). However, it doesn’t mean taking care of them is easy and no time or efforts are needed. We...
It sounds lovely: a dog gets a command, it does it and gets a treat or a reward for that. It won’t end with one moment in the perfect case and it will become the basic idea of a whole training for a dog that will become an obedient pet using positive...
Every dog owner knows that feeling when (s)he has to leave house to work or (s)he can’t take his/her pet with him/her for any reason and (s)he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Can a dog handle the situation or will it bark and go on the rampage?...
Fear is natural for people and everyone has their own fears. While someone is scared of spiders, heights or confined spaces, others are scared of dogs. This fear is common in children who haven’t explored the world so well yet and who don’t know the...
Guinea pigs are popular pets especially in families with kids. They are small animals that can bring a lot of joy. If you consider buying a guinea pig, there are some aspects you shouldn’t neglect before making the decision. We talked about what to...
Have you heard about sport called Disc Dog? It basically consists of throwing a disc to your dog that fetches it. Disc Dog can be done as a recreational or a professional sport. For professional competitors, there are several disciplines for which...
Siberian Cat is quite a new breed that was only recognized by the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) in 1992. It emerged from crossbreeding domestic cats and breeds brought from the Near East and it found its home in Russia and Ukraine where it...
Most of us have this long thought-to-be-true idea that one dog year equals to seven human years. So, if you have a two-year-old puppy at home, it is already 14 years old when compared to humans. Therefore, if you have a ten-year-old dog at home, it is...
Breast milk is, in the beginning of life, the best thing a pup can get from its mother. It is full of the nutrients it needs to grow and develop properly. However, as the offsprings grow, milk needs to be supplemented with other food, so they are...
Cat lovers and breeders know very well that one cat is often not enough, and that there is sometimes a need to get another cat companion. However, this decision will affect the whole household and, above all, it is necessary to prepare the cat you...
Many of us are under the influence of the need to fulfill a dream of getting an unconventional pet, which the minipig certainly is. This trend has been present in the Czech Republic for about ten years. But don’t be fooled by those cute snouts, taking...
