Man's best friend

When you first greet Damon Purdy, his big, welcoming smile probably has a lot to do with the lifelong friendship he’s started with a four-legged creature. 

Cooper is a 2-year-old, 85 pound yellow Labrador retriever. He sleeps in Purdy’s bed, of course, and fits in well with their two basset hounds at the house. 

As a medical service dog with two years of specialized training in both interventional services and seizure alert, Cooper knows 52 total commands. He can pick up items and bring them to Purdy, and he can open and close doors. He can comfort Purdy and alert others if he needs help.

“I’m teaching him to open the fridge and bring me water,” Purdy said.  

Purdy and Cooper left in Mid-August for Christian Brothers University in Memphis, which he will attend on an academic and athletic scholarship running cross-country and track. Purdy said he’s excited about college, but a little nervous, too. 

As a recent graduate from Hewitt-Trussville High School, Purdy was born with right coronal craniosynostosis, which caused some speech and development delays when he was a child, he later received a diagnosis of autism. One of the effects of this is social anxiety, especially around large crowds, among other things that can cause stress.  

It was actually Purdy’s idea to get a service dog for college, said Tiffany Purdy, his mom. They found Service Dogs of Alabama and started fundraising in March in hopes that before he left for college, they would secure a dog. Service dogs are costly and can be between $12,000 and $30,000. The Purdys were required to fundraise 50 percent of the value of a dog before getting one. Thanks to dozens who have donated, and help from the Purdy family’s church, Holy Infant of Prague, and teachers from HTHS, they are only about $300 away from their fundraising goal of $4,850. 

“We’ve had some very generous family members who’ve helped out,” Tiffany Purdy said. “We received a sizable donation from the Knights of Columbus at church, and we’ve had a great response from his high school teachers. To have them reach out to him after he’s graduated,” she said tearfully, “it’s been huge for us.”

His new education community has also reached out. 

“It’s been really amazing to see a university embrace him before he’s even a student there,” Tiffany Purdy said.

If they exceed their fundraising goal, the extra money will go toward other families in need of a service dog. 

Over the summer, the Purdys completed the application process and home visits with Service Dogs of Alabama, and the head trainer met with Damon Purdy to find out exactly what he needed. The organization chose Cooper based on Damon Purdy’s needs. 

“The process is very professional, and they are phenomenal,” Tiffany Purdy said. “The extra training in seizure alert is very beneficial for us, too.”

Damon Purdy has had fainting episodes in the past, so if that happens again, Cooper will do all that is necessary, including barking and running to find help. 

“It was so nice of the organization to think of everything we need,” Damon Purdy said.

During the first two weeks at their home, only Damon Purdy could interact with Cooper since that time frame is the most important for bonding. So far, Cooper has been to the movies, to church and everywhere else Damon Purdy has ventured. 

“When I go into public, I know he has my back,” he said. “For intervention, if he sees me getting stressed or annoyed, he nudges me, puts his head on my knee, things like that. And if I’m not awake and I need to be, he will lick my face.” 

The benefits of having Cooper around keep showing. 

“I really appreciate the independence factor he’s brought,” Tiffany Purdy said. “It has helped Damon be able to talk about things, and overall, he’s gotten more willing to talk to people about his struggles.”  

Training for Cooper and Damon Purdy won’t end anytime soon. 

“I have to go for training each year for the next three years,” Purdy said. “There’s a test involved. You have to walk and keep pace with him, perform sit and stay and a leash recall; it’s really more of a test for me than for Cooper.”

Strong in mathematics, Damon Purdy went through the engineering academy at HTHS and aspires for a career in transportation engineering.

“Damon has a very unique and creative mind, especially for traffic flow,” Tiffany Purdy said. 

Christian Brothers University has a strong engineering program and a support group that offers mentorship and more for Damon Purdy, she said. 

The site for the Purdys’ GoFundMe page can be found at gofundme.com/help-autism-service-dog-for-damon. Those interested can also send a check to Service Dogs of Alabama in Damon Purdy’s name. All donations are tax deductible.

For more information about ServiceDogs of Alabama, visit servicedogsalabama.com.