Awake & Aware

Hello, my name is Danielle and in September 2012, I was diagnosed with a rare sleep disorder called idiopathic hypersomnia. It is largely not understood by the medical community, and there are no FDA-approved treatments on the market.
This disorder causes severe excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), uncontrollable long sleep periods, and extreme mental fog. It is not uncommon for me to sleep 18 hours a day, even with three alarms set.
As you can imagine, this has caused immense difficulty in my academics, professional, and personal lives. I will finally be graduating college in August at age 24, and will be unable to work fulltime until researchers can find a better treatment for me.

I am extremely worried that I won't be able to wake up even for a parttime job - a friend suggested the idea of a service dog, trained to wake me up when my alarm goes off. Unlike a piece of technology, a dog does not have a button that shuts it off!
Unfortunately, dogs are very expensive to take care of - that is why I've created this fundraiser. The goal is $1300 - an estimate of how much it will cost to purchase and care for the dog for one year.

ETA: There has been a little bit of confusion regarding what the dog will be trained to do! The dog will not be barking or using noise to wake me (not feasible in an apartment setting, nor would it really be effective). S/he will be trained along the lines of service dogs for the hard of hearing. When my alarm clock goes off, that's the dog's cue for "on the bed". S/he will not be allowed on the bed unless they hear my alarm sounding, so in this way, it becomes a special daily treat for them! This bit of training tends to not be very difficult for dogs to pick up, as it has a built in reward.

Why I Feel a Service Dog Would Help:

1- A dog trained to wake me up won't give up until he has done his job. An alarm clock and even a human can't do this. In order to successfully get to work daily, I need outside help to wake up.

2- My disorder causes marked depression and anxiety, due to the debilitating nature of it. Dogs are wonderful creatures who are unconditionally loving and are proven to help with psychiatric ailments. My counselor and psychiatrist have both emphatically endorsed this idea.

3- A dog will force me to keep a strict schedule, which is imperative in the treatment of my disorder. Dogs will not let you forget that it's dinner time or that they need to go out! They have an impeccable internal clock that will help me remember to do daily tasks that I often forget to do in the mental fog caused by my EDS.

Estimated Annual Costs Breakdown:

Adoption fee - $250
License - $15
Food and treats - $250
Medical - $250
Bedding - $75
Leash & collar - $25
Crate - $50
Bowls - $10
Toys - $50
Training - $200
Grooming - $25
Miscellaneous - $100
Total - $1300

(sources: 1, 2, 3)


Frequently Asked Questions:

Will you be training the dog or getting one already trained?
A bit of both.
I plan to adopt a slightly older dog (2-3 years) that is already house-trained and knows basic commands - I definitely do not have the time or energy to train a puppy! However, I will be adopting a dog from a rescue - not purchasing a specially trained dog - which means the "wake up" training will be done after our trial period. You can find details on this type of training here.

Why aren't you planning on getting a dog through a service dog agency?
Due to the nature of the training necessary, it absolutely has to be done in-home. Quite frankly, it would be foolish to spend the thousands of dollars necessary to get training that is not even required for or related to this type of service.
It is also important to note that "certification" is not legally required to consider a dog a service animal, and professionals often consider it to be a waste of money and time.

What kind of dog are you planning on getting?
There are two main criteria that I need to take into consideration: the dog needs to be apartment friendly, and it needs to be relatively low energy (for obvious reasons). It just so happens one of my favorite breeds suits both those needs, so I will be adopting a pug. They are small, don't bark much, don't need a lot of space, and are generally pretty low energy.

What if the $1300 isn't enough?
Once I reach my goal, I will stretch it as far as it will go. It is entirely possible that it won't be enough, but I will cross that bridge when I get there! That may mean another fundraiser, or it may mean shuffling around my budget some more. And there is always the possibility that the service dog will be so successful that I can take on more hours at work and therefore afford it myself.

You can't afford to do this on your own?
At the moment, it's unlikely.
I will end my current job on July 25th, and my online business will have to close in the near future as well, so my current sources of revenue will soon dry up. One big reason I am moving in September is to attempt to become more independent, including (especially) financially. Many things that I don't pay for right now will become my responsibility, and since I can't work more than around 25 hours a week, my budget is going to be tight. I don't yet have a job lined up either, so I don't exactly know yet how much I'll be able to make once I move.

When does your fundraiser end?
I will be moving to my new home in mid-September and will need to get settled before adopting the dog. I hope to meet my funding goal by the end of October.