These days, therapy dogs have now become a part of a person’s healing process in hospitals. Medical science can’t really explain what’s going on inside a patient’s body but therapy dogs do have this miraculous healing power that helps patients recover faster. Perhaps it’s the companionship of dogs that stimulate something in people’s brain that triggers the healing process.
A little boy named Ian was involved in a terrible accident that claimed the lives of his parents. Ian was in a coma for four months and he also suffered from a traumatic brain injury that left him partially paralyzed. When Ian gained consciousness, he started physical therapy almost straight away.
Ian needed to relearn how to eat, speak, and other basic human functions. Ian was a fighter and he progressed quite well. However, Ian was missing his parents and this affected his emotional health. That’s when Ian met a dog named Ricochet.
Ever since Ricochet was a puppy, she was already training to become a service dog. Ricochet was really got at it but she eventually lost interest and shut down. Ricochet’s trainer and guardian, Judy Fridono, noticed this change in Ricochet’s behavior. There was really little that Judy could do to get Ricochet interested in training again.
However, Judy discovered that Ricochet was interested in surfing. When Ricochet jumped onto a surfboard, that’s when her eyes lit up and took interest. Judy also read an email that her friend sent to her about an article about Ian. The article described the accident and that Ian loved going surfing with his dad.
Judy knew that Ricochet can help Ian recover. When Judy brought Ricochet over to meet Ian, Ian and Ricochet immediately bonded. Ian’s eyes lit up but he still was afraid of going into the water to surf. However, when Ian learned that he could go into the water and go surfing with Ricochet, that’s when his fear dissipated.
Even when Ian fell off the surfboard and went face-first into the water, Ian just laughed and wanted to go catch some waves again with Ricochet. Ever since Ian met Ricochet, Ian’s life has changed for the better. Ian became more confident and his mobility drastically improved.
Ian and Ricochet eventually went their separate ways when Ian made a miraculous recovery. Ian’s story became a part of a documentary. When the documentary premiered, Ian and Ricochet were invited. When Ian learned that he was going to be reunited with Ricochet, he became even more excited.
Ian was outside the cinema when Ricochet went running towards him. Ricochet definitely remembers Ian and she was as excited as Ian was when they were reunited. Ian couldn’t be more thankful for having Ricochet a part of his life and for helping him recover during the time when he needed help the most. Here’s a heartwarming video of Ian and Ricochet’s reunion.
Video Source The Dodo via YouTube
