This is Benny, our 12 week old English Labrador. We adopted him with the dream of him becoming a service dog for our daughter, Penelope, who is 5 years old and living with cerebral palsy.

When we began this journey, we were encouraged by the idea that there were grants available to help with the high cost of service dog training. Sadly, due to recent funding cuts, many of those opportunities are no longer accessible.

Benny will be starting his training this month. Unfortunately, it did not work out with the first program and we were not able to get a full refund on the $2,000 start up fee we paid for. We are now working with Forget-Me-Not Service Dogs and excited to support a no -profit in the process. The total cost for their two year program is $8,500.

For Penelope, having a service dog will be life-changing. Benny will not only help her with mobility, but will also support her unique sensory needs, giving her more independence, confidence, and comfort in her daily life.

We are so grateful for any support you can offer, whether that’s through donating or sharing this campaign with others.

Thank you for helping us give Penelope the gift of greater independence and a lifelong best friend.