Hello everyone~!

I'm making this at the advice of a lot of people to help raise money for my dad to get a service dog.

In April 2023 my father, Ralph Hyatt, suffered a severe stroke. This has left him with weakness in his right leg, barely any movement in his right arm, and a great difficulty with communicating. He has been working very hard over the last 2 years to gain back as much as he can. Physically he was bedridden right after his stroke with the medical team preparing us for the possibility that he may not gain much more and to mentally prepare for that; however, now he is able to walk on his own with a quad cane and carefully navigate some steps. He is not running any marathons any time soon, but he is a slow and steady mover for short distances. He has aphasia, apraxia, and dysarthria, which makes communication really hard for him. He knows what you are saying and what he wants to say but his mouth just won't cooperate. He has been very diligent in following his PT, OT, and Speech therapists and it has paid off!

He struggled last year with being sick for a big chunk of the time and ended the year with gallbladder removal surgery. Thankfully this year so far, he has been feeling pretty good (Knock on wood!) We are very careful with our safety measures but sometimes accidents still happen. In February, he was getting up to go to the bathroom early in the morning he slipped off the side of the bed onto the floor. He wasn't able to get to the call bell to alert me and resorted to banging the headboard of the bed to wake me up. Thankfully he was not on the ground long and didn't get injured in the fall but it was very scary. Dad's quick thinking made it possible to alert me, but I really got it in my head that dad should have a service dog after this accident. If he had a service dog I could attach a call button to the collar making it accessible at all times. Not to mention a service dog would be trained in how to alert me for situations just like that.

The thing is that it is really expensive to get a service dog and he unfortunately doesn't qualify for the services in VA that will help provide you with one. Alternatively, I have thought about adopting an older dog as a cheaper option but even doing that the dog would need special training because of dad's balance and mobility issues. Along with the dog and training we will also need to fence in the back yard.

Here is what we are going to need to make this happen:

1 - Clear the backyard for the fence. I have gotten a quote for this and it will be $1,750 through RVA Goats. Environmentally friendly, chemical free, and supporting local is important to us and this seems like the best way to eradicate the English Ivy infestation as well as the poison ivy/Virginia creeper/blackberry brambles.

2 - Build the fence. This would be just the cost of materials because I'll do it myself. I'm going to need lumber and chicken wire. I'll try to find reclaimed free wood, so I'm unsure of the cost for that, but 150 yards of chicken wire is about $110 and I'll need a few of those. I don't know the exact amount yet. My measuring tape broke mid measuring, lol. More exact measurements to come!

3 - Adopt a dog! Dad loves black labs, so we will have to find the perfect fit for him among all the dogs needing a forever home.

4 - Train the dog. I have looked into two local training groups--Off Leash and Dog Training Elite. Training can be anywhere from $2,000-$10,000 for service dogs from what I am seeing/was quoted. It all comes down to exactly how much training you are looking to do and where you go.

Beyond the extra security of safety for dad a dog would do wonders for him mentally. We all know how enriching and healing animals can be for us. A dog would be a constant companion for him other than me. It is hard to motivate him to get up and move around, so I'm thinking the presence of a dog would naturally get him moving more. An added bonus would be it getting him outside more.

If you would like to donate money, time, resources, or anything else to this we would all greatly appreciate it.