Cobb’s Purpose

Paralyzed Schnauzer Spreads Joy, Hope and Love

My husband Paul and I were not intending to adopt a third dog. After Misty, our oldest miniature schnauzer, passed away, we decided that our two remaining girls were enough for now. After all, there were only two of us, so it made sense.

Not long after making this decision, I saw an injured dog’s story on the Schnauzer Love Rescue page I follow on Facebook. With each sentence I read, I felt my heart strings being tugged a little more. This little guy, named Cobb, had a spinal cord injury that rendered him paralyzed in the hind end. While I wasn’t paralyzed, I had spinal cord compression a few years back, and I understood some of the pain he probably felt. Without saying anything to my husband, I looked up his foster family and sent a Facebook message asking if we could meet this little guy. She responded within minutes and invited us over the following day. Knowing that Paul has a soft spot for dogs, I casually mentioned our plans for that Sunday. To my surprise, he was just as excited as I was.

To make a long story a little shorter, we ended up fostering him, initially part-time, and then full-time. With all of his special needs, it wasn’t long before we began to wonder, “Would anybody else want to learn to take care of him? Would they be diligent enough to maintain his schedule of eight pills a day, multiple times a day? What if someone adopted him out of the area and we never heard about him again? Or, worse, what if someone adopted him, not fully realizing all the special care he needs, and then dumped him a second time?”

After pondering these questions, we realized the answer.

Cobb was meant to be a part of our family. We loved him, and he loved us, and he got along great with our other two schnauzers. We even did a twist on a gender reveal photo shoot, calling it a “Cobb reveal,” with him popping out of a box with blue balloons. We celebrated with champagne, a pet blessing, and even a unity candle that Cobb’s first foster family, and Paul and I, lit together. That very night was the first time that Cobb initiated play with our other two. It was like he KNEW he finally was home, and it brought tears of joy to my eyes.

Since the adoption, we have taken Cobb and his schnauzer sisters, Daisy and Lily, on many RV trips across the country. Cobb has had his picture taken at Mount Rushmore, Old Faithful, the Grand Tetons, and he even has walked along the shores of Maine. Cobb has a following of thousands on the rescue page, and many have driven up to 100 miles simply to meet him. He has become an inspiration to so many.

Recently, we were excited to see Cobb making progress in using his hind legs a little more, so we posted that we would be putting him back in rehab for another six sessions. Just a few days later, one of his fans sent money covering the entire cost. We were astonished! This was someone who followed Cobb on Facebook, and didn’t even live in the area. We exchanged emails and agreed to meet if we found ourselves near each other. That day finally came.

A few weeks ago, while in Florida, we arranged a meeting. The day before, the wife, Nancy, told me her husband was on hospice care, and had been following Cobb’s story from the beginning. Being a hospice nurse myself, this meeting was now even more special. On our way to their home, she sent me a text asking, “Do you think that Cobb would snuggle in the bed with Greg?” I told her that I was sure he would. We told Cobb what a very special visit he was about to have, and how he had to be on his very best, most gentle behavior. The look in his eyes told me he understood.

Nothing prepared us for the way Greg’s face lit up when we walked in with Cobb. The very second we put Cobb on the bed, an unspeakable bond was formed between an amazingly accomplished man, his beautiful caregiver and wife, and our little Cobbler. Their kindness, generosity and new friendship is something Paul and I will cherish forever.

We have been blessed beyond measure to have met so many new people, made friendships that we will cherish for a lifetime, and had our lives forever changed for the better, all because of a rescued, paralyzed little schnauzer named Cobb.

If you would like to hear more about life with Cobb, you can follow his Facebook page, Cobb’s Purpose: Life With a Paralyzed Schnauzer.

– Joni Gommo lives in Canton with her husband, Paul, and three miniature schnauzers, Daisy, Lily and Cobb.