Ricochet raised half a million dollars for charities. Photo: Facebook
Ricochet is surfing’s most famous dog. The golden retriever surfs with disabled people and special needs children and has gained a massive following for it. On New Year’s Eve, Ricochet’s official fundraising tally came to a staggering $500,000 for numerous charities.
“It took awhile, but I don’t know how many other dogs have raised a large amount of money,” said Judy Fridono, Ricochet’s owner. “We have been able to help a lot of people with it, so that’s what’s most important.”
The whole thing really got started back in 2009 when Fridono posted a video of her dog surfing with Patrick Ivison, a quadriplegic surfer. Ricochet was always going to be a helpful dog–she was in the process of becoming a certified service dog, but turned out to be a little too jumpy–but just how helpful was apparent until Fridono put her on a surfboard.
“The day she hopped on the board with Patrick, she was reborn,” Fridono said 2012. “She kept running back to the water with her tail wagging like she could finally tell me, ‘This is what I want to do.’ She is who she is and we are who we are, and we shouldn’t try to change ourselves for other people. That’s what I learned from her.”
Most of the fundraising has been done through social media. With a Facebook following of nearly 25,000, Ricochet’s fans happily donate to various causes. Organizations Fridono and Ricochet have helped include foundations that help veterans, children with special needs, and animal welfare, among others.
