Getting Out and About with Bosco

Twenty-year-old Nick was born with cerebral palsy and has a string of fused vertebrae. But with the use of a power wheelchair, he still likes to spend his days out on the town. His limited mobility used to make those instances rather scary. His mom, Lisa, explains, “If he is in his power wheelchair and out in the community when he would drop something, he does not have the ability to pick it up.”

It was not uncommon for Nick to drop his cell phone, and not being able to retrieve it, would have to come home to get Lisa to go back and find it with him. She says, “If any issue would arise, I was always on edge. Sometimes Nick's a couple of miles from home and I can't get a hold of him and he doesn't have a cell phone or he’d drop something or is stuck. Those were always concerning to me.”

So Nick decided to get his own picker-upper, one with four legs, a helpful mouth, and a furry body. They discovered Can Do Canines and Lisa recalls, “Can Do Canines was at the top of the list for us, mostly because I could see the amount of support that would be with us when we would have a service dog.”

They could hardly wait for the match to happen, and soon, it was time for Nick to meet his dog and begin training. “Seriously, when we pulled up at Can Do Canines, it felt like Disney World, but even better,” says Lisa. 

Mobility Assist Dog Bosco, a 3-year-old yellow Lab, was ready to get to work and became the grabber, puller, pusher, tugger, closer, and retriever Nick needed. Lisa does not miss being the one to crawl underneath the bed to fetch a remote and adds that Nick “doesn't have to depend on me. I don't hear ‘Mom, close my door’ like 50,000 times a day, or ‘Mom, can you get this?’ Now he tells Bosco to do it.”

Bosco easily embraced Nick’s mobile lifestyle. The two of them are well-known in their neighborhood, going to the local coffee shop, visiting parks, and meeting friends for lunch. Lisa explains, “There's a family restaurant about three blocks from our house that Nick and Bosco are regulars at.” More comfortable knowing that Nick is not alone in his daily travels, she says, “For me, it's when he's out in the community, it's a peace of mind that Bosco is there to help.”

Sometimes, though, Nick’s mobility gets temporarily suspended. Lisa describes that since getting Bosco, “Nick's been in the hospital or had some type of procedure probably three or four times, and Bosco is the one waiting by that O.R. door for Nick to come out.” She also mentions the important role Bosco plays if Nick needs to stay where he’s at. “Bosco is the first one up in that bed with Nick, giving him the comfort he needs. That's so crucial to me because before when Nick had procedures, he was a bear after he woke up. He's just very adamant on leaving, he wants to go, and the last time Nick was in the hospital for two nights, Bosco was with us. Nick was a completely different person in the hospital because Bosco was with him.”

The transformation Bosco is bringing to Nick’s life is part of a bigger picture. Lisa says “Nick's looking to move out within a year, maybe two at the most. Nick wants to have the ability to be as independent as he can be. And with Bosco, he has that ability.” Plus although Nick already has a part-time job, he has goals of working full-time alongside Bosco.

Thinking of Can Do Canines’ volunteers, Lisa shares, “I’d like them to know that what they do makes a huge difference. They may not always see where it’s going or how it ends up to be right away, but Bosco is providing a service that is very important now and will be crucial when Nick is on his own.”

That crucial independence is no small deal either. Lisa sums up, “I really feel that Can Do Canines has been a complete savior to us.”

 

Thank you to all those who made this partnership possible:

Whelping Home — Rick & Patti Dougherty
Raisers — Rachael Mackie & Matt Fortunato, Casey & Ryan O’Connell
Special Thanks — Jackson Correctional Institution, Stanley Correctional Institution
Name-A-Puppy Donor — Doreen & Jeff West