And now for some uplifting news for your holiday weekend. Meet Ricochet, a therapy dog whose job it is to take disabled kids surfing. In fact, he’s been doing that for 7 years! As if this pup weren’t special enough, he recently did something that’s never been done: through a Cure SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) event, he led kids who cannot breathe on their own into the ocean on a surfboard. And it was a most incredible experience for everyone involved.
One little girl, 3-year-old Bailey, suffers from type 1 spinal muscular atrophy. Her debilitating condition makes it impossible for her to walk, swallow food, or breathe on her own. But that didn’t stop her or Ricochet from hitting the waves.
[In the photo above] you can see that each time a wave came ashore, a team of volunteers from the non-profit organization Puppy Prodigies lifted the surfboard, and then lowered it again.
Helping severely disabled children experience the joy of surfing is a lot to coordinate. But see that smile on Bailey’s mama’s face? She the one holding the breathing machine, and watching her little girl relish a moment she probably never thought would be possible. Just that smile alone makes every effort worth it.
Check out the video below to see just how much everyone enjoyed the day on the surf with Ricochet, and have a safe Labor Day weekend!
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