‘Changed my life’: local woman with cerebral palsy discusses need for service dogs during unique fundraising event

Saturday's annual National & World Fiddle Day fundraiser in Coldwater featured fiddle music and square dancing, and raised nearly $7,000 for COPE Service Dogs.

When you combine fiddle music, square dancing, intelligent lovable dogs and a great cause, you get Saturday’s annual Fiddle Day Fundraiser event in Coldwater for COPE Service Dogs.

Alexa and TJ’s story

Alexa Wehby, a guest speaker, talked about how TJ, her COPE service dog, has allowed her to live life to its fullest despite her cerebral palsy.

“TJ makes it not suck because he breaks down all the barriers so that I can have independence like I’m supposed to,” explained Wehby.

Since they were paired together in May 2022, TJ has been helping Wehby with her lack of balance and is always by her side in case she needs a hand (or paw).

“I fall very easily. TJ’s here to make sure I don’t fall,” said Wehby. “There’s just so many things I can’t pick up. Certain items, if I pick them up I can drop them, so he makes sure that I can take the stuff with me that I need.”

Wehby says TJ’s impact is more than she ever thought it could be.

“He’s just absolutely changed my life,” she emphasized. “He showed me that I don’t have to be defined by my cerebral palsy and that it doesn’t have to be who I am. And he’s shown me that I don’t have to hate everything about myself and want to stay in my room and never leave it. Because with him, I know I can go anywhere with anybody and do anything, and he’ll make sure it’s all good and well.”

Fiddle music, square dancing and COPE Service Dogs

What was supposed to be an annual event for National & World Fiddle Day, the third Saturday of May, has turned into a unique fundraiser.

Each year, nearly a hundred locals fill the Eady Community Hall, marching to wailing fiddle violins while trying to keep up with orders from square dance callers, as COPE service dogs roam around.

The purpose: to allow more dogs like TJ to help more people like Wehby.

The idea came from Ralph Price, Horseshoe Valley area resident and square dance caller, who came across COPE Service Dogs while watching a CTV News broadcast.

“My wife and I really love dogs, especially service dogs,” he said of his wife Sandy Price, who is also a fiddler. “I said to my wife, ‘let’s make it a fundraiser for COPE. We won’t charge admission. We will just ask people to make donations.’ And we thought we might make $500. We didn’t. We made $2,300.”

The event has raised a total of nearly $22,000 in the five years since then, including nearly $7,000 on Saturday.

“We’ve had a lot of support from the fiddle community and put it together with these great dogs,” added Ralph Price.

The cause

According to COPE, its service dogs impact 40 people’s lives in their two years of training before getting paired with their life partner.

“It’s so important,” said Tammy Skrabek, COPE fundraising and communications officer, of the lives their dogs touch. “From students to seniors to children.”

“Service dogs are a very important tool and I don’t think there’s enough recognition for them or enough availability for them,” added Wehby. “Without the support and without people knowing, it would not be possible to have dogs like TJ. They’re life-changing so we definitely need them.”