Deed #6 was providing a service dog for someone in need!

We worked with Kingston 4 Paws to get a service dog to our very deserving recipient Cesar!

 

 

This is Cesar: a cheerful, caring and very curious 6 year old boy. He loves to play with Legos, is a fan of super heroes and is very fond of painting and dancing. But jumping, cycling, running or playing sports are very difficult activities for him, who was born with a genetic condition that leads to progressive muscle weakness.

At the age of 3 he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Being diagnosed with a disease without a cure isn’t something anyone looks forward to. After all, most boys who have this same condition will eventually need to use a wheelchair to get around.

But, with a lot of research, faith and optimism, we are looking for the best ways to live with those limitations and bypass the difficulties. That’s how we learned about mobility service dogs, that receive special training to help people with physical disabilities.

A mobility service dog will help Cesar to get up off the floor, pick up dropped objects, open doors, assist with his balance while walking, besides being a kind companion for him. We are very hopeful that having a service dog will make a huge difference in our child’s daily life by boosting his confidence and promoting independence.

 

Kingston 4 Paws Service Dogs | Service Dog Training

May be an image of dog and outdoors

 

Kingston 4 Paws Service Dogs’ mission is to provide trained service dogs and their continued handling support to physically and emotionally challenged persons and their families, assisting them to become more independent in their Southeastern Ontario communities.

 

In October 2013, the two founders of Kingston 4 Paws Service Dogs met and shared their common realization that Southeastern Ontario lacked any locally based service dog training programs dedicated to assisting children and other individuals living with autism and other physical, emotional and mental challenges.

 

They began a partnership operating as Kingston 4 Paws Academy to try and fill this gap. Applications for dogs started being received in the spring of 2014 and the first puppies were acquired in February of 2014.

 

It was soon obvious that the local community shared their vision. Interest and awareness grew very quickly. Encouraged by the response, the partnership was converted into its current not-for-profit corporate status in early November and granted its charitable status on January 1, 2015. By the end of first year of operations there were 10 puppies in training with foster families and 7 approved wait list recipients. Our first trained dogs were placed in the early summer of 2015.