Proud of our friend!

Our friend, and member of the S.D. Golden Retriever Meetup Group, Ricochet, has won a national award! Here are all of the details, courtesy of Fox5sandiego.com.

SAN DIEGO - A North County golden retriever that surfs for charity is one of five really good dogs being honored nationally by the American Kennel Club.Winners of the AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence were announced Thursday in New York City. The winners will receive $1,000 awards on Dec. 5 in Long Beach, Calif.Ricochet was trained to be a service dog for a person with a disability, but she turned out to be too interested in chasing prey for that role. The 2-year-old female showed she could surf, winning 3rd place in the 2009 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge. Now, she often surfs with disabled surfers, including a quadriplegic teenager and 6-year-old boy with a brain injury. Ricochet helps balance the board to keep them from falling off and helps them to feel excitement instead of fear.

In the 10 months, Ricochet has helped raise awareness and almost $50,000 in donations for a variety of charities, including the Association of Amputee Surfers, Ocean Healing Group, Surfers Healing, Surfers for Autism, and the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

Ricochet is honored to receive the American Kennel Club ACE Award, and will continue her commitment to helping others, while encouraging them to focus on the CAN do's in life, and realize that disappointment can be turned into a joyful new direction! To learn more about Ricochet's surfing, causes, and fundraisers, visit her website at http://www.surfdogricochet.com .

We are so proud of Ricochet, and honored to call her our friend! Keep up the great work!