Paw Prints the Magazine

A Friendship – Kyle and O’Toole

Surely there have been no better friends in the World. Certainly Tina and Jeff Meek hadn’t seen a relationship closer than the one between their son, Kyle and his friend, O’Toole. It was an incredible friendship of unconditional love and support, made even more amazing by the fact that O’Toole is a dog; a yellow lab/golden retriever mix.

O'Toole never leaves Kyle's side

In 1999, five year old Kyle A. Meek was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a condition characterized by a rapid progression of muscle degeneration which eventually leads to the inability to get around without help. As Kyle got older his disease followed the typical progression exactly and without mercy. By age eight he was using a pushed wheelchair about 50% of the time, and walking with leg braces the rest. By the time he was ten, in 2004, he was in a motorized wheelchair full time. Not only that, but he was also withdrawing more and more from his friends at school.

O'Toole & Kyle enjoying a trip to the aquarium

His parents, Jeff and Tina, had been thinking about a canine companion after the couple saw an advertisement for it in the MDA quarterly magazine. Tina decided to contact Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a non-profit organization that breeds and trains dogs for the physically disabled and the hearing impaired.

After first filling out the application paperwork then several phone and in-person interviews, the Meek family received the exciting news that they were approved to receive a skilled canine companion. The entire family was elated and quickly enrolled in one of the quarterly placement classes; consisting of two weeks training for the family the essentials: care of the dog, commands and interactions.

Right away O’Toole was a clear favorite of the family, and most importantly, Kyle. Although the family worked with 5-7 different dogs throughout the first few days of training, the best fit was definitely O’Toole. The proof: once Kyle and O’Toole got together, they were literally inseparable.

The Meeks expected O’Toole to be helpful to Kyle in his day to day activities, like picking up dropped items or open doors for him. What happened, and what Kyle’s parents didn’t expect, was that O’Toole provided for Kyle something else. In addition to physical help O’Toole was providing their son with a partner, a friend, and a comforting companion.

O'Toole could make Kyle's treatments much easier.

When times were especially tough for Kyle, all it took was fifteen minutes alone with O’Toole, and life was okay again. There were times when Tina and Jeff would get a call from the school because Kyle was having an emotional breakdown over the changes he had to endure as the strength in his muscles slowly faded. When that happened, the cry would go out, “We have an O’Toole emergency!” Tina would take the dog into school to visit Kyle. After time with O’Toole, Kyle would calm down and be re-energized enough to participate in class again.

There's nothing more healing than a boy's love for his dog (& vice versa)

Something else happened once O’Toole became Kyle’s friend; Kyle actually started interacting more at school, inviting friends come to the house to play games and hang out, and he even went on all the school trips. The Meeks believe that this happened because Kyle was no longer seen as special because of the MD, he was cool because of the unique and wonderful companion he had. Kyle could show his friends his cool dog that could pick up the pencil he dropped or bring him the remote control and place it on Kyle’s lap. He had a cool dog that could open doors, turn lights on and off, just to name a few independence giving activities O’Toole could provide. Even better, Kyle had his independence; he no longer had to rely on Mommy and Daddy to do everything for him.

The Meeks Family, Spring 2008

On September 4, 2008, Kyle lost his battle with DMD and passed away in his sleep due to respiratory failure. He was 14 years old.

The family was given the option to keep O’Toole or have CCI find another home for him. There was no hesitation, the question didn’t even have to be asked, the Meeks had no intention of letting O’Toole go. O’Toole is now an officially retired skilled companion dog and still lives happily with Tina and Jeff Meeks along with their other family pet, a lab named Riley.

We encourage you to learn more about CCI by visiting their website, www.CanineCompanions.org

This is a video about a dog who didn’t make the grade to be a service dog.  Surf dog Ricochet’s inspirational video highlighting her journey from birth, to service dog training, to turning disappointment into a joyful new direction, to surfing with quadriplegic surfer, Patrick Ivison, to fundraising for charitable causes. She is currently leading a fundraiser for a six year old boy named Ian who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a horrific car accident that claimed the lives of his parents. If you’d like to help Ricochet help Ian, please go to http://www.ripcurlricki.com. To follow her on Facebook… search for “Surf Dog Ricochet” or copy/paste http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Surf-… Thank you for watching, and donating to her charitable cause.

Tags: Canine Companions for Independence, CCI, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy