Daisy's Service Dog Training
Donation protected
My name is Amanda and I am 37 years old. When I was 13 I was diagnosed with a rare connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos . This disorder caused major joints to dislocate at will. Due to this illness I have had to undergo five surgeries to fix the damage.
In April of 2014, the Ehlers-Danlos caused the arch in my left foot to fall which made it extremely painful to walk. In November of that year I had my first joint fusion surgery in my ankle to try and fix the problem. Unfortunately, that surgery caused me to get a rare chronic pain coniditon called RSD/CRPS .
RSD/CRPS is a progressive pain condition which causes discoloration, swelling, and massive amounts of pain. The pain from this disease has been rated the highest pain possible for a human to endure (it's above natural childbirth). As I get older, the condition will spread to my other limbs making it harder and harder to perform daily living activities. The picture below shows some of the differences between the affected and unaffected foot.
On August 30, 2016 I had another joint fusion surgery to correct the first surgery, and fuse two more joints in my affected foot. The surgery has actually increased the symptoms from the RSD/CRPS.
I'm trying to raise funds to help me train a Service Dog, Daisy, to help me become more independent. Daisy is already progressing through some basic skills such as retreiving, tugging, and coming when called. With the help of our trainer, Daisy will learn the following tasks:
1. get help if I've fallen;
2. pick up dropped items and bring them back to me
3. bring my wheelchair or walker to me
4. bring various items to me such as my blood sugar tester for my Diabetes
5. open and close doors so that I can keep both hands on my walker to prevent falling.
Daisy has already learned to comfort me when my pain levels are not controllable by medication. She rarely leaves my side and often lays on top of me to keep me safe.
We appreciate any and all help that you can provide us to help get her trained. She is an amazing dog that was adopted from the local shelter and is a mix between a Walker Coonhound and something else.
In April of 2014, the Ehlers-Danlos caused the arch in my left foot to fall which made it extremely painful to walk. In November of that year I had my first joint fusion surgery in my ankle to try and fix the problem. Unfortunately, that surgery caused me to get a rare chronic pain coniditon called RSD/CRPS .
RSD/CRPS is a progressive pain condition which causes discoloration, swelling, and massive amounts of pain. The pain from this disease has been rated the highest pain possible for a human to endure (it's above natural childbirth). As I get older, the condition will spread to my other limbs making it harder and harder to perform daily living activities. The picture below shows some of the differences between the affected and unaffected foot.
On August 30, 2016 I had another joint fusion surgery to correct the first surgery, and fuse two more joints in my affected foot. The surgery has actually increased the symptoms from the RSD/CRPS.
I'm trying to raise funds to help me train a Service Dog, Daisy, to help me become more independent. Daisy is already progressing through some basic skills such as retreiving, tugging, and coming when called. With the help of our trainer, Daisy will learn the following tasks:
1. get help if I've fallen;
2. pick up dropped items and bring them back to me
3. bring my wheelchair or walker to me
4. bring various items to me such as my blood sugar tester for my Diabetes
5. open and close doors so that I can keep both hands on my walker to prevent falling.
Daisy has already learned to comfort me when my pain levels are not controllable by medication. She rarely leaves my side and often lays on top of me to keep me safe.
We appreciate any and all help that you can provide us to help get her trained. She is an amazing dog that was adopted from the local shelter and is a mix between a Walker Coonhound and something else.
Organizer
Amanda Smith
Organizer
Dayton, IN
