Ricochet, (”Rip Curl Ricki,”) the Surfin’ for Paws-abilities SURFice dog, who raised almost $20,000 for charitable causes in the last six months, and more notably has been inspiring millions of people with her YouTube video, will be accepting a Dogswell "Wag" award on February 18th at the LeDeux Hotel in Hollywood, California. One of the prizes is a years supply of Dogswell dog food that Ricochet is donating to the AniMeals program at the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

It's that time of year when celebrities hit the red carpet at the Oscars, Golden Globes and SAG Awards, so Dogswell, a natural pet food company is celebrating California's top dogs with "Wag" awards. The charity event will honor five top dogs who are heroic, funny, talented, and inspirational with a big night on the red carpet. Ricochet won the award for "most charitable story".

The event will be held at Les Deux in Hollywood, 1638 N. Las Palmas Av. Tickets can be purchased online at www.dogswell.com/RSVP, and includes complimentary cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, and awards presentation.

Ricochet began fundraising and creating awareness for charitable causes in August of 2009. Her first fundraiser was for 15 year old quadriplegic surfer, Patrick Ivison. She raised over $10,000 for Patrick, and her sponsor, the Rose Foundation awarded a grant to cover three years of his physical therapy.

Afterwards a video was posted to YouTube which showcased her inspirational journey "From service dog to SURFice dog". The video went viral, and has almost 2 million views, which increases daily. The video has touched people all over the world with folks tweeting, Facebooking, blogging, and emailing with "kleenex alert" warnings.

The video has also generated more than $8570 in donations (so far) from all over the world including Canada, The UK, Taiwan, Japan, The Netherlands, and New Zealand. $3550 went toward Ricochet's Surfin' Santa Paws toy drive which helped purchase toys for over 638 children in hospitals, and domestic violence shelters. The remainder of the funds is going toward her newest cause, six year old Ian McFarland who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a horrific car accident that claimed the lives of his parents.

When Ricochet heard one of the prizes that goes along with the "Wag" award is a years supply of Dogswell dog food, she immediately thought of her friends at the Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Ricochet supports HWAC throughout the year by attending several of their fundraising events, including the surf dog surf-a-thon (she won 2nd place overall at their 2009 event). But, for Ricochet the biggest prize is when she can help raise funds or increase awareness for a charitable cause. So, in the spirit of the "Wag" award, Ricochet wants to make Helen Woodward a bigger part of her "charitable story" and is kicking it off by donating her years supply of dog food to their AniMeals program.

Helen Woodward Animal Center is a unique, private, non profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of animals and enriching the lives of people. For more than 37 years, the no-kill Center has provided humane care and adoption for orphaned animals, as well as animal-centered educational and therapeutic programs for people.

The AniMeals program offers free pet food for the dogs and cats of elderly or disabled people throughout San Diego County. AniMeals helps keep people and their companion pets together by removing logistical and financial obstacles to ensure that clients will always be able to provide nutritious meals for their beloved pets. The program, which works in cooperation with Meals-on-Wheels, and other organizations, began in 1984 and is one of only several like it in the United States. The AniMeals program currently feeds approximately 235 pets per week.

Ricochet is thrilled to donate her one year supply of Dogswell dog food to such a wonderful organization as Helen Woodward. She also sincerely thanks Dogswell for honoring her with a "Wag" award. See you on the red carpet!

Note: For more information, contact Judy Fridono at 707-228-0679, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

SOURCE: Surf Dog Ricochet