4 Paws for Cody O

⁸Meet our precious “Cody-O”!  Cody is a very energetic and social 10-year-old.  He loves school, running, throwing balls, dancing, and giving plenty of generous hugs.  He lives in Minnesota with his parents and two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister.  Cody has been diagnosed with two rare genetic disorders, 16p13.3 microdeletion and X-linked lissencephaly, both of which have presented numerous challenges and obstacles, but don’t tell that to Cody!  Cody is non-verbal and has significant developmental delays, affecting both cognitive and motor skills.  In addition, Cody is epileptic and has occasional breakthrough seizures.  While Cody is fortunately able to walk and run, he is unsteady and unable to sense and react to certain dangerous situations (e.g. traffic, stairs, steep hills, etc.), and has a strong desire to run away from anyone who is “watching” him.  Whenever Cody is held from activity that others are doing (usually for his own safety), he will get jealous and occasionally meltdown.  Despite these challenges, Cody wants to enjoy a more-independent life with limited barriers, socializing with other children, and doing the same things they do.

Cody has a good support system in place with medical staff, school staff, and a supporting family.  We would like Cody to have a little more freedom, a one-on-one companion, and his parents to have a little more peace-of-mind.   We believe a Multipurpose Assistance Dog would greatly help towards that goal.  The service dog will be trained in Behavior Disruption, Tethering, Tracking, Balance, and Seizure/Scent Alert.  When Cody screams out, throws a fit, or attempts to harm himself or others, his service dog will be trained to disrupt the behavior by laying across his lap and using deep pressure therapy to calm and redirect him.  When Cody is walking in public places, he will be tethered to the service dog, which will provide a sense of comfort and security for Cody and prevent him from running away.  When Cody is having a seizure, the service dog will be trained to stay by Cody’s side, to alert his caretakers by loudly barking, and to comfort Cody during the post-ictal period.

We are working with 4 Paws for Ability, a nonprofit organization that helps place people with disabilities with a certified service dog.  This group is dedicated to helping those in need; they work with children as well as adults in making sure the service dog will fit the needs of the handler, the family, and the child with disability.  It costs 4 Paws $40,000-$60,000 to train a service dog to meet Cody’s needs.  We have been through the application process and have now agreed to raise $17,000 for 4 Paws for Ability.  With your prayers and support, we know the service dog will be of great benefit to our Cody-O!  Thank you so much for your generosity!