Help Ana Get a Life-Changing Service Dog

Brett Harris is organizing this fundraiser.

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My wife Ana is the bravest person I know.

She suffered ongoing abuse at the school she attended as a child. And she was sick and bedbound for the first five years after we got married. She has fought hard over the last 12 years to regain her health and reclaim her life from complex PTSD.

But even the bravest heroes need sidekicks.

Dogs have always been a safe place for Ana. Our two dogs, Ramona and Beezus, have been constant companions for Ana throughout her healing journey. And every dog she meets is a source of joy.

Earlier this year, two significant things happened:

1) Beezus (our Boxer dog) passed away from cancer.

2) Ana attempted (unsuccessfully) to start college classes.

Losing Beezus was a huge blow, because her strong, loving presence had been a powerful source of safety for Ana, especially when I wasn’t at home.

And despite all her progress, being in a classroom was too much for Ana after the abuse she suffered in school as a child. Attending classes triggered severe flashbacks and trauma symptoms and she had no choice but to withdraw.

But these two difficult events sparked an idea for Ana… What if she had a trained service dog that could go with her everywhere, including to college?

Service dogs are more than just companions or emotional support animals. They are some of the most highly trained dogs in the world. They can:

Sense and interrupt panic attacks or flashbacks
Create space in crowded environments
Guide their person to the nearest exit
Wake their person from night terrors
Fetch help in an emergency
And dozens of other specialized tasks

Most importantly, service dogs are allowed to accompany their handlers pretty much everywhere.

Having a service dog would completely change Ana’s life. So many things she wants to do trigger severe trauma symptoms, including:

Taking college classes
Going to the grocery store
Using public transportation
Going out to eat with a friend
And so much more

Having a service dog would open up the world to her.

We are both so confident this is the right next step that we’ve signed a contract with a reputable organization to match Ana with a PTSD service dog.

The cost to train a service dog for Ana is $17,000. And if we have to, we can and will cover this cost by ourselves.

But we know there are so many people who want a tangible and practical way to support Ana.

And we can’t think of a more tangible and practical thing than helping her get a dog that will literally be by her side every single day for the next 8-10 years.

As her husband, I want Ana to know she's not alone. I want her to see how many people are rooting for her and want to see her thrive.

More than the amount of money raised, I would love for as many people as possible to donate even $5 to this fundraiser and show Ana that the world is still full of goodness and kindness and people who want to see wounded souls become whole again.

So, if you can give even $5, please consider doing so. The value of your contribution will be so much greater than the dollar amount. It will mean you had a part in changing Ana's life.

Your donation will be used exclusively to cover the hundreds of hours of training and 6-12 months of food and boarding that goes into producing a PTSD service dog.

And if you can’t give for any reason, please help us share this fundraiser instead. Sharing really does make a difference. You have no idea who may donate as a result of you sharing first.

Thank you, thank you for your support.