The first words that Talon Carmody, 14, uttered were “dog” and “where are my dirt bikes?” after being in a coma for two months due to a dirt bike accident when he was 13 years old.
Carmody, along with his grandmother, Tami Carmody and his “Papa” — his grandfather, Todd Carmody — spent Sunday afternoon at the Titania K9 Fund ninth annual “Wanted: Wild West” gala at the Sand Canyon Country Club in their best Western gear.
Talon endured a traumatic brain injury, a broken clavicle, a broken neck and a broken back due to his accident before the long journey to recovery at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
“He went to trauma. We were there for two months. And that’s when the dogs first started coming into his room when he was coming out of his coma. So, the dogs would jump up on the bed, and they would take his hand and pet the dogs and try to get him to come out of the coma,” Tami said.
Once Talon finished his stint at the hospital, he went to rehabilitation and that was where he said his first words, Tami added.
When asked how dogs have impacted their family, Tami said they give people comfort in a time of need.
“I would say, dogs are great. They’re great therapy for whatever the incident might be, if it be for cancer or an injury or an illness, they give you comfort. They give you comfort and they do wonderful, wonderful things for these children,” Tami said.
Denise Kane, co-host of the gala, said this gala helps raise money for dog therapy at the Children’s Hospital.
Kane said the original theme of the gala was high tea before they officially landed on doing the Wild West.
“So, we originally started out as a high tea, believe it or not, in Palmdale, and then we moved to Santa Clarita a couple years ago,” Kane said. “And just to be closer to the hospital and like a more central location, and we found this venue (Sand Canyon Country Club) that has a Wild West feel to it. And we decided we’d latch onto the idea that the dogs are wanted because they’ll steal your heart.”
Kane added that the reason it is important to hold these events is because people want to give back to programs like dog therapy and places like the Children’s Hospital.
“So, ‘I’m going to come and maybe I’ll see a dog that I know, maybe I’ll be able to give back to the program that meant so much to me,’ so, you know, I mean, obviously the program does need some support. It’s donation, completely donation funded, and the dog handlers and the dogs, of course, are volunteers. So, that’s our mission. That’s what we do as a nonprofit,” Kane said.
During the event, attendees could participate in riding a mechanical bull, look at the therapy dogs roaming around the area and win prizes in raffles.
Ann White, an attendee, said these events are a great way to support a good cause, especially with a fun theme.
“It’s a great way to get the word out to people that might not otherwise know that these programs and things even exist. So, it’s a good way to get the message out to everybody,” White said.
