Clovis mom raises money for son's service dog training

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Clovis mom is hoping a four-legged friend will provide comfort and companionship to her nine-year-old son.

Cooper was born with Down syndrome.

His mom, Janine Brodeur, said the condition comes with many challenges.

"They also have medically challenging disabilities to get through -- cognitive impairments, other physical impairments," she explained.

Although Cooper is nine, Brodeur said her son is -- cognitively -- three years old.

"Cooper does not have a lot of safety awareness," she said.

This is a huge concern for Brodeur, which is why she decided to get Cooper a service dog.

She posted a GoFundMe page, and the community helped donate enough money to get the furry companion.

Cooper has already named the Goldendoodle -- Waffle. She'll become his newest friend next week.

As a single mom who works full-time, Brodeur believes Waffle will provide constant companionship to Cooper -- boosting his quality of life.

"The dog will be taught to lay next to Cooper, to provide comfort for Cooper and even to apply compression as she lays on or next to Cooper -- to provide that calming effect to help bring him out of that incident or that specific challenge that he's facing," she said.

Cooper's mom is also excited about the connection her son and Waffle will develop.

"Being able to feed his dog, love his dog, brush his dog, take his dog for walks," Brodeur said. "So all of those things are going to be teaching him great life skills."

She is grateful the community helped donate to get Waffle, but now they have to pay for her training.

Those interested in donating can visit the GoFundMe page.

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