Help me get a service dog
My name is Katie Schneider, I am a 22 year old mother of one crazy toddler, and I have anxiety and depression.
I am raising the money to pay for the adoption, training, and equipment for a German Shepherd service dog. This dog will greatly improve my life because he or she will help me be able to go into public places, ie Walmart and other large retail stores, without having an anxiety attack and having to leave without neccesary items.
The money will be used to purchase a puppy from Man's Best Friend training center, where they have a single breeding pair of German Shepherds (see link below for the website), will pay for vetting, and appropriate tags for the dog. It will also pay for hands free leashes, harnesses, further training as we grow together as a team, as well as food and other basic needs for a dog. It will also pay for any future vet visits that we incur.
The faster I get the funds, the faster I can get a deposit paid on the dog and he or she can begin training. Full cost would be due when the dog is delivered/picked up.
Getting this dog, to me, means getting my life back. In the past two years I have lived in a proverbial hell. My ex, who I have a child with, stalked, harrassed, and threatened me. I spent every day living in fear of every knock on the door, of hearing every motorcycle rev up near my apartment, and I even went so far as to get a knife for protection. Several doctors I have spoken to have stated, off the record, that my symptoms are classic anxiety.
Words fail to describe how thankful I would be for this dog, and for everyone who helps me get to a new part of my life in helping get this dog. To many people, this will just be a dog with fancy training that gets to go where your dog legally can't. To someone like me, this is a huge step in moving on with my life. The abuse I suffered at the hands of my ex is still at the forefront of my mind, and leads to awful mental breakdowns and crippling anxiety. I cannot currently function like a normal person, I do not leave my home and probably wouldn't be able to in a life or death situation.
Here are two links in case you wanted more information. First link is basic facts for service animals, the second is the link to the assistance training page of the training center. You can follow page links to see available dogs and the puppies from this page.
https://adata.org/factsheet/service-animals
http://www.bestfrienddogtraining.com/assistance-dogs/