Koozie Group (asi/40480) has a graduate on its hands – or, rather, paws.
The Counselor Top 40 supplier is celebrating the first of its sponsored litter of service dogs to graduate from training with the nonprofit 4 Paws for Ability.
Newly graduated service dog Rose has rapidly bonded with Emmy (center), the 10-year-old girl she was partnered with, since the two went through training together.
4 Paws for Ability raises and trains service dogs in support of children and veterans with disabilities. Since the organization was founded in 1998, it’s placed more than 2,000 service dogs with people in need thanks to its growing team of staff and volunteers.
Koozie’s newly graduated pup, Rose, matched with a 10-year-old girl named Emmy, who has autism and experiences seizures. Rose was specifically trained to assist with behavior disruption and seizure alerts, and after the pair first met at the beginning of December, they successfully graduated as a service dog team.
Emmy’s mom shared that the duo has quickly become inseparable, and Rose is already making a big difference in her daughter’s life.
“It’s incredible to see Emmy bond so quickly, especially since she typically dislikes being touched,” she shared. “Most of Emmy’s seizures happen while she’s sleeping, and Rose is already showing great success in her seizure alert training. Emmy loves showing off ‘her dog,’ and Rose is helping bridge social gaps that often come with autism.”
IMAGEN Brands, which Koozie acquired back in 2020, has been supporting 4 Paws for Ability since 2022 by donating 1% of stock plush sales to the nonprofit. With IMAGEN’s full integration into the Koozie portfolio this year, the support continued, as did the sponsorship of Rose’s litter.
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While two of Rose’s siblings have been deemed “Fabulous Flunkies” – the endearing term given to dogs adopted by their volunteer trainers after not quite mastering the skills needed to be a full service dog – six more pups are still in advanced training with 4 Paws for Ability. They’ll be partnered with children or veterans in need on service dog teams soon.
“We’re honored to have played a small part in Rose becoming a service dog and are thrilled she and Emmy are already an inseparable team,” said Trisha Joyce, employee engagement and communications manager at Koozie. “We look forward to continuing to support 4 Paws for Ability’s mission, and we thank all our distributors who have helped us make an impact.”
Based on 2023 North American promotional products revenue of $317 million, Koozie Group ranked seventh on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.
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