My name is Alicia. I am starting this fundraising hoping to get into a new home for myself, my two children, Josiah and Kitana, and our two dogs, Ace and Jax.

For those who don’t know, I lost my two oldest children. My 13-year-old, Nevaeh, took her own life on 8/29/24 and passed away in the hospital on 9/2/24. Less than 5 months later, my oldest, who had suffered a brain injury after being hit by a car 3 years prior, passed away on 1/19/25 as a result of those injuries. Due to all we had lost, we moved to Massachusetts where my kids had family. March made a year in our apartment. On April 24th, there was an incident and my Husky, Ace, bit one of the neighbors. Ace was leashed, and the neighbor who had been bitten had been told days before not to pet the dog because I was unsure of how he would react since he’s wary about strangers.

The landlord gave me notice that night that I would have to remove the dog from the property by the following day. He is unwilling to negotiate even though I explained the situation and suggested I put a muzzle on him when I take him out. My mom has agreed to watch him temporarily while I figure out something else.

For those of us who are dog lovers, you know how important they are to our families. I got Ace for the kids as a puppy following my son’s accident. He quickly bonded with my youngest son, and the two have been best friends since. Josiah, who is 10, has suffered a lot, having lost both his oldest siblings so close together and having been the one to find his sister when she took her life. Since they passed away, he has been struggling a lot emotionally, and his dog is very important to him. All of us need Ace, but Josiah needs him the most. I have already started looking for alternative housing, and as most know, renting can be difficult with animals, especially dogs. Most people don’t allow dogs, much less two. Now that Ace has a “bite” history, it will be nearly impossible.

I want to have our Ace back home. Our family has already lost so much, and to lose him permanently would be more than I think we can handle.

I am hoping people might help, even if it’s just a dollar. Anything will help so the kids and I can get into a safe home where we can get Ace back home and have a place where my kids and dogs can play safely, and we won’t have the stress of something happening to the dogs or the kids. I know it’s a lot to ask, but at this time, I feel very lost. I do plan to make some calls Monday, but so far, what I have read, the landlord has the right to have the dog removed from the property after a dog bite, regardless of how it occurred.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking the time.