When Dominic Cumo’s service dog Kipper went missing Monday night he was devastated. With the family’s diligent search and the help of some volunteers Kipper was home Tuesday afternoon.
Dominic Cumo has Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS, and is one of the youngest people to be diagnosed with the disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that weakens both the muscles and the spinal cord. Kipper, a Shih Tzu, is his service dog that helps alert Dominic’s family if he is not breathing.
On Monday night the Cumo family was talking with neighbors in front of their apartment when Kipper disappeared. Usually Kipper is always right by Dominic’s side, so the family was very concerned. The next morning Dominic and his parents went door to door, distributing flyers and desperately trying to find Kipper.
Riverside County Animal Services was called and a team of six volunteers joined in on the search for Kipper. They drove around and helped distribute the flyers. Within two hours the volunteer team had found Kipper. He was just a few blocks away from his home where a man was trying to sell him. The volunteers stepped in and brought Kipper home.
When Dominic was reunited with Kipper he was in tears, amazed and thankful to be reunited with his dog.
