Surf Dog Ricochet Named ASPCA's "Dog of the Year"

Ricochet, aka the SURFice dog, has received the prestigious title of “Dog of the Year" from the American Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The award was presented at the ASPCA's Annual Humane Awards Luncheon in New York City, which was hosted this year by esteemed NBC news anchor Chuck Scarborough.

The ceremony honors and recognizes the extraordinary efforts demonstrated by animal heroes and the folks whose caring dedication has positively affected the lives of animals throughout the year. The luncheon is held in recognition of the importance of the human-animal bond, the huge impact animals make in our lives and the contribution made by those individuals dedicated to the welfare of animals

A committee appointed by the ASPCA chose winners in six categories, after a nationwide call for nominations was made to the public last February. These six categories included Dog of the Year, Cat of the Year, Kid of the Year, The ASPCA Public Service Award, The ASPCA Henry Bergh Award and the ASPCA Presidential Service Award. After extensive research, the ASPCA was led to Ricochet’s website and she was chosen as Dog of the Year.

Initially, Ricochet was in training as a service dog to help people with disabilities. But Ricochet far more enjoyed chasing birds than training. She definitely had other ideas in mind. And because her “partner” Judy  Fridono loves and trusts her dog’s intuition, she remained open to what Ricochet was communicating and discovered her love and talent for "riding the waves." This opened a whole new area in which Ricochet was able to help people, as she transformed from "service dog" to "SURFice dog." Her unique surfing talent made her the only known dog in the world who surfs the waves with special needs children.

Quoting Judy, "Surfin' for Paws-abilities allows Ricochet to raise funds and awareness for humans and animals in need." This awesome three-year-old Golden retriever has raised over $125,000 for more than 150 human and animal causes to date.

So I can only imagine how greatly honored Judy and Ricochet must have been when receiving this outstanding award, along with the huge number of folks whose lives have been touched and transformed by this beautiful dog with a heart as big as all outdoors. 

Watch Ricochet’s incredible story on the touching video uploaded to YouTube by docchat. Tissues are in order!

 And do be sure to visit Ricochet’s website and her Facebook and Twitter pages at "Surf Dog Ricochet."

So let’s give Ricochet a big congratulatory round of apaws by leaving a comment!