Ricochet, the first-ever canine-assisted surf therapy and adaptive surfing dog, has caught her last wave aged 14 and a half with the help of a triple-amputee veteran. Due to cancer and other health issues, Ricochet will now be retiring from surfing.
Jose Martinez, an army veteran, purple heart recipient and Gold medalist in adaptive surfing, got on board to help Ricochet surf one last time. Martinez, who won Gold at the AmpSurf ISA World Parasurfing competition in Pismo Beach in last year, has been sponsored by Ricochet in adaptive surfing competitions since 2017.
He lost both his legs, right arm, and a finger in his left hand after stepping on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2012 – and took up surfing for the first time after the loss of his limbs.
Ricochet became the first-ever canine-assisted surf therapy and adaptive surfing dog in 2009, when she jumped on the board of a 14-year-old boy with a spinal cord injury. Since then she has surfed with hundreds and hundreds of kids with special needs, wounded warriors, veterans with PTSD, pro surfers – and even a goat.
Earlier this year, Ricochet had a fast-growing soft tissue sarcoma removed from her right side; she lost strength in her hind legs and has been in rehab ever since. She was also recently diagnosed with kidney disease, and an ultrasound showed a mass in her liver. The subsequent CT confirmed that the mass is liver cancer.
She also has arthritis in her spine – overall, it quickly became clear she could not keep surfing. She did however enjoy her last few waves.
“I thought Ricochet might catch a wave or two, but she kept going,” said Judy Fridono, Ricochet’s guardian. “She was so happy. It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful surfing story. It’s like her story came full circle… she helped so many others catch waves all these years, and when she needed help, who better than Jose.”
You can watch Ricochet and Jose surfing together for the final time below:
