Dog and Adaptive Surfer Team Up

Adaptive surfing isn't new. Dog surfing isn't either. But one group of people decided to try them together off the coast of Del Mar Thursday.

Patrick Ivison uses an adaptive surfboard to carve out waves. He suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of a car accident when he was only 14 months old.

Ivison, 15, says he was inspired to surf after seeing an adaptive surfer in the documentary "Step into Liquid” seven years ago. "He has the same kind of, the same level of injury as me, so we have similar abilities and I was like 'Hey, if he can do it, I can do it!'" Ivison said.

As he's preparing for college, Ivison is planning on living with a service dog to help him achieve greater independence. The organization Pawsitive Teams places service dogs with people with disabilities. They found him a great partner in a golden retriever named Kona.

However, the costs of Ivison's service dog and physical therapy are steep.

That's where Ricochet, a golden retriever, enters the picture. Known as "Rip Curl Ricki," she will compete at the Surf City Surf Dog event in Huntington Beach on October 11 to help raise money to benefit Ivison and others like him.

As for the experiment Thursday, the pair practiced for the first time on the sand. Then, after a few minutes, they managed to catch a few waves.

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