A 10-Year-Old Boy Sells His Toys to Pay for His Dog’s Medical Treatment

They say that dogs are man’s best friend, and for a boy from Fairport, N.Y., it’s especially true.

Connor Jayne, a 10-year-old boy, had to part ways with his favorite toys in order to save his best friend, Copper, by paying for the dog’s medical procedures, according to WROC-TV.

“I decided to do a garage sale to help Copper here because he’s more important,” Connor said.

Copper had started to develop medical problems, including limping, in December 2017. Doctors believed that Copper was suffering from Cervical Spondylomyelopathy, or commonly known as wobbler syndrome.

The disease affects the cervical spine at the neck of the animal, and it’s commonly prevalent in large breeds of dogs. Wobbler syndrome is caused by the compression of the spinal cord leading to neck pains.

“When we found out how much the surgical consult and the MRI and surgery was going to cost we just realized we just didn’t have that money,” said Connor’s mother Jennifer.

But the family’s situation soon changed, thanks to Connor and his supporters.

“Thanks to everyone we have our consult for the MRI on July 10th! This way we can know exactly what we’re dealing with and make sure we’re going down the right path. It would not have happened if it wasn’t for the kindness and generosity of others. The overwhelming support has truly touched our family and my son is overjoyed by the kindness and difference that one person can make,” a family Facebook post read last summer.

Copper, the Doberman, is a registered service and emotional support animal. With the dog’s mobility issues, he was unable to do his job as a registered service animal properly.

Connor wanted to help Copper with his problems. In order to pay for the bills and the surgery, he opted to sell his belongings in a yard sale.

In addition to selling his toys and books, the family also created a GoFundMe page, which provided details on Copper’s situation.

With the help of 622 people over eight months, Jennifer Jayne’s GoFundMe page received over $18,000 from a $2,800 goal.

Jennifer Jayne wrote that she would use the money to pay for Copper’s treatment as well as his MRI treatment. Any money that’s donated beyond the goal of $2,800 would be given to organizations to help other animals in need, according to the GoFundMe page.

The family also used the Facebook page to post updates on how Copper was doing and the treatments he was going through on the road to recovery.

Copper and Connor

Copper has been with Connor for a long time, and is a very important part of the boy’s life, being his rescuer as well as a therapy dog.

Connor had suffered from unexplained fatigue, aches, night terrors, headaches, incontinence, and uncontrolled behavior. However, medical tests were inconclusive, and no one really knew what was going on with the boy.

One day, the Doberman alerted Jennifer Jayne to her son having a seizure. It was through this incident that she managed to alert her son’s neurologist.

“One night Copper begin barking at the door and I assumed the dog needed to go out, instead the dog ran to Connor’s room and I was actually able to see my son having seizure activity, I would have never known,” said Jennifer Jayne, according to WROC-TV.

The doctors diagnosed Connor with a seizure disorder and got his seizures under control. However, he was diagnosed with another problem—severe anxiety, along with PTSD, ADHD, and chronic headache disorder.

Jennifer Jayne said that Copper can tell if her son is due for an anxiety attack, and will push his body against the boy’s to relieve his symptoms of anxiety.

“He one of my best friends,” the 10-year-old said.

Connor and Copper have been together ever since.

“He’s our heart and soul, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have even known that my son was having seizures, and [Copper] can do the job of the anxiety drugs [Connor’s] on tenfold,” Jennifer Jayne said.