AFTER three days and 630 kilometres on a bike, Mike Mooney would be forgiven for wanting nothing more than a cold drink and a compress for his saddle sores.
But the Limerick firefighter and father-of-two is hoping to press on with his fundraising efforts for ‘My Canine Companion’, a charity that’s near to his family and especially his two sons, who are living with autism.
A member of the Limerick City Fire and Rescue service, Mike and his team of firefighting cyclists are all too familiar with helping people while in the line of duty.
Over the course of the May Bank Holiday weekend, the ten riders will cycle the 630km journey from Mizen to Malin with the sole aim of helping ‘Emmy’, a labradoodle pup who is in training to become a fully vetted canine companion for his two sons, Ronan (6) and Darragh (3).
Mike’s fundraising efforts are to help ‘My Canine Companion meet the cost of training the pup which amounts to €10,000 for the two year course.
‘Emmy’ has a calming effect on Ronan and Darragh if they become frustrated and that gives her a special place in the family.
“Emmy is like another child. She goes everywhere with us and is part of the family. She has to go away shortly for her next period of training and that will last four to five months so we are building the boys up to that. It is going to be tough but when she comes back, she will have another huge amount of training done.
“There is a waiting list for dogs to go to families and we are hoping to raise a decent amount of money to give something back to the charity and help more kids enjoy life with a pup like Emmy”.
The ‘My Canine Companion’ Mizen to Malin cycle will stop in Limerick on Saturday April 30 where Mike’s fellow firefighters will also be hoping to raise money for the charity during the Riverfest festival.
Donations can also be made online at www.idonate.ie/mobile/fundraiser/11258506_limerick-fire-service-mizen-to-malin-cycle.html
