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woman with his service dog

Stories

Charles and Andi

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When this family came to CPL for Charlie’s interview, his mom and dad hoped to find a special friend for Charlie. Charlie is one in a set of triplets. He has Cerebral Palsy and has gone through several surgeries in his young life.  His mom and dad knew how difficult it was to keep up with his sister and brother and how frustrated and isolated he felt.  They were hoping to find a companion and partner for Charlie that would always be there with him. “Little” Andi was placed into the home companion program because of her size. She was small in size but big on the amount of love and companionship she gives. When asked how Andi helps him, Charlie says “She sleeps and cuddles with me, I read to her and she stays with me when I do my homework.  She licks and kisses me, makes me laugh and she’s my best friend. Andi sits by me while I brush my teeth and take a bath.” Until Andi’s arrival Charlie always had troubled sleeping through the the night; this is no longer a problem! Charlie has one complaint about Andi “she can’t go everywhere with me.” Andi has however gotten her therapy dog certifications and has been going to Charlie’s school with his mom (who’s a teacher there) as a part of the “reading to the dog” program. Charlie wrote a poem about Andi:

A is for awesome N is for nice
D is for dog I is for incredible
We think that sums it all up!