Kodi, short for Kodiak, is among the larger dogs at Baron Cameron Dog Park in Reston on Thursday, July 14. The rest of the dogs make up in spirit what they lack in size. Kodi is playful and kind to them all.
He stops his play with the other dogs, when Vadim Kozhuenikov of Reston, Kodi’s owner, mentions Kodi’s name. A few simple gestures and Kodi stops, then sits patiently next to Kozhuenikov.
At a year and a half, 120-pound Kodi isn’t quite done growing. Kozhuenikov and his wife got Kodi prior to planning the birth of their daughter, now 9 months and crawling. “He came first,” Kozhuenikov says about Kodi, “so his training would be done before the baby. We were worried. He is well behaved, but big. He’s really careful though.”
Kodi is a Canine Good Citizen, a certificate and title issued by the American Kennel Club for “basically good doggie manners,” Kozhuenikov explains. “It’s the first step to a true therapy dog,” he says, Kodi’s eventual goal. Training is on hiatus due to the baby, but Kozhuenikov looks forward to finishing the program so Kodi can share his good nature by helping children and veterans.