Help Jesse Get Selah

Jesse has been through two tours of deployment, and has endured loss of friends and family members in his life. He currently struggles with P.T.S.D. and some days are much more difficult than others. He wants a service dog that can provide comfort, and companionship. The waiting lists for patriot assistance dogs are very long and can be up to 3 years. The demand is so high they are not even accepting new applications in our local area. This dog will be trained to help him with the after effects of war. Jesse suffers from hypervigilance (always on alert), and anxiety on daily basis. He needs to be aware of his surroundings, and does not like large crowds due to the fear of the unknown. The dog will be able to alert Jesse when a person is entering a room or is near. This is to hopfully reduce the amount of times he is startled throughout the day. He cannot place his back to a doorway, and has to have eyes on the exit of a building which is very common. He scans not only his surroundings, but people as well to ensure they are not a threat. This dog will help when Jesse is experiencing anxiety, ground him and provide reassurance. We decided to see if we could make it possible for Jesse to get this dog sooner than the long waiting lists. To do that it means we have to pay for the dog, and training ourselves which is very expensive.  I helped put this page together for Jesse, as this is not an easy topic for him to discuss. As you can imagine it makes him feel very vulnerable, and is a difficult topic for many to discuss. Jesse is aware of this page, and has asked that I share his story. Any help would be greatly appreciated. We will keep everyone updated on his Journey. Below is pictures of the dog Jesse is hoping to adopt.  The training will be provided through Off Leash K9 training which is out of Alexandria, St.Cloud and Twin Cities area. They are the most local agency to provide the Therapy Dog Development Course.