Golioth comes home

Our mom, Jane Mooney, has always had a passion for sports, and at a young age was heavily involved infield hockey and cricket, which continued well into her adulthood. After having three children (Cassey, Keelan, and Aodhan) she remained involved in sport by becoming a swim coach in South Africa and continuing in Canada.

As a high-performance Field Hockey Goalie in South Africa, Jane suffered from an ankle injury which resulted in her autoimmune response leading to rheumatoid arthritis. Jane continued to her best ability to remain active in sports, until the age of 30 when she was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia.

Cerebellar ataxia is a form of ataxia originating in the cerebellum, and symptoms include the inability to coordinate balance, gait, extremity and eye movement. With Jane’s condition, she has extremely limited motor coordination and struggles with the brain-to-nerve feeling under her knees making basic elements of daily life near impossible. Although she has remained as proactive as she can against accelerated deuteriation of her condition, unfortunately as with most diagnosis, with time the condition worsens. She has severe challenges with balanceand mobility, but despite the challenges she faces, she remains an active and influential contributor to sports in the North West Territories of Canada as a swim coach for both the Yellowknife Polar Bear Swim Club, and Team NWT.

With her three children out of the house pursuing their careers, and her husband based in Newfoundland and Labrador due to career and income circumstances, Jane is living alone in Yellowknife. With her condition continuing to worsen and the family’s concern of her living alone, Jane has been approved for a mobility service dog named Golioth.

“Brace and Mobility Support Dogs, also known as Mobility Support Dogs or Mobility Assistance Dogs, are a special type of Medical Assistance Dog primarily trained to assist their disabled handler with locomotion (defined as moving from one place to another by any means, including on foot or in a wheelchair). Mobility Dogs help people with impaired balance, gait, or coordination to safely walk or regain their footing after a fall, and they help individuals who utilize prosthetics or other assistive devices, including wheelchairs, gain unprecedented levels of independence, freedom and mobility.  They are also frequently trained to help their handler with everyday duties that their human partner can’t readily perform because of their disability, or can only perform with difficulty, like picking up dropped items, retrieving out-of-reach objects, and opening/closing doors, drawers and cabinets” These are just a few of the specialized training aspects Golioth will go through before he brings a renewed sense of living to our mother.

Aside from the challenges living physically restricted at the best locations, living in the north comes with its own set of challenges and added difficulties in acquiring a service dog. Canadian mobility dog services and training grounds require the recipient to live in the area of their establishment, and with the closest one being in Edmonton, this was not possible in Janes case due to her coaching and community engagements. This meant our family had to look into other options. The training school in Edmonton kindly put us in touch with a specialized mobility assistance dog trainer who has provided dog training for people all over North America, leading us to an organization in North Carolina who acknowledged Janes need for a mobility assistance dog. With this being the most realistic option, this meant that Golioth would require boarding and training fees in America, on top of his base price.


Golioth is a gorgeous bernadoodle with a sweet and kind temperament, who Jane felt an instant connection with and knew he would bring a better quality of life for her. As a family we have secured and payed for the first $20,000 USD, although as he completes his last 6 months of training, our family will have to cover $3,000 USD per month. Unfortunately, none of these finances are covered by insurance nor the government.

Our mother is a selfless and kind person, and has tackled every obstacle she has faced with a smile. She continues to remain a key part in NWT swimming and has been a substitute teacher atEcole St. Patricks High School for 10 years. With Golioth we believe she can continue to contribute her kindness and humour and continue to do what she truly enjoys. As a family we have watched her struggle and would do anything to alleviate some of the hardships she faces daily in basic tasks, which are easily overlooked by healthy and mobile people.