Betsy Needs Our Help to get a Service Dog!

EXCITING UPDATE: WE GOT LUCKY!!!

After three Labrador Retrievers fell through - one did not pass medical evaluations, one is too young, and one was adopted before he could be evaluated - the trainer finally found Lucky, a beautiful Golden Retriever that has passed the rigorous health screenings required of all companion/service dogs.

Check out the video below to watch Lucky during his preliminary training.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU78FLt4Hhw

He will require significantly more training for service dog designation, and that is going to require us to raise more money. PLEASE SHARE this WIDELY so Lucky can receive additional training to acquire the specific skills he needs to help Betsy.

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Betsy needs our help! We need to raise money to purchase and train a service dog to help Betsy continue recovering from what has so far been a three-year battle with brain cancer.

Her battle started in 2020 when Betsy noticed tingling in her arms and legs. While this concerned her, she initially attributed the symptoms to Covid anxiety. At the time, she was a busy mother of four, a caretaker to her elderly father, and a distance runner, and she worked part-time, on top of it all. However, when she had the symptoms checked out, the diagnosis shocked her. She was told she had Glioblastoma, an aggressive and cancerous brain tumor.

The typical prognosis of someone with this type of cancer is 24 months, but after undergoing chemotherapy, two precarious brain surgeries, and joining a clinical trial, her tumor has stopped growing. She has been defying all odds and is providing others with hope for a cure. However, these life-saving treatments have left Betsy unable to walk unassisted, and she has lost 90% of the function on the left side of her body.

Betsy has fallen several times and has even broken her wrist. Her therapist recommended that she get a service dog to help her accomplish simple tasks we all take for granted.

If we can raise the funds, Betsy can be matched with a trained dog that can greatly improve her quality of life. The trainer will ensure the dog has been carefully bred for superior health and excellent temperament, and experts will be scrupulously conscientious about matching the dog with Betsy’s needs.

The dog will eventually be able to pick up, retrieve, and carry small objects. Most importantly, this dog will relieve Betsy’s loneliness. Betsy recently lost Elvis, the 15-year-old dog that was her constant companion from the time she was diagnosed until he died, and she now spends up to 10 hours a day alone.

The purchase and extensive training of a service dog is not covered by insurance, so we need your help and generosity to make this happen! We need to raise $20,000 for a trained dog to be Betsy's helper and constant companion.

Betsy will continue physical and occupational therapy to strengthen her leg, improve her balance, and regain the use of her left arm and hand. Betsy’s determination to beat cancer has not waned; however, the dog would be instrumental in her continued recovery.

Please donate and help Betsy safely achieve her independence. Any amount would be greatly appreciated!