Up until about a year ago, I enjoyed living an active, busy lifestyle with my mobility assistance service dog, Asher: we were often out discovering all that New York City has to offer, spending time in the busy theater district whenever we could. We were a well-traveled pair, too; traveling near and far together at every opportunity. Asher truly expanded my world and safely took us places that I never imagined I could navigate before he came into my life. His retirement almost two years ago was a harder adjustment for me than for him: he enjoyed his couch potato lifestyle as I learned to use a cane to get around. My stamina and my confidence took a significant hit, and still today, I rarely venture far by myself.

Years before Asher passed away in December 2023, I began the search for his successor, but this journey has been fraught with disappointment and a few false starts. While there are plenty of more durable and readily available mobility aids out there, I have yet to find a piece of equipment that can do for me what a mobility assistance dog does. I use a dog primarily as a counterbalance, to provide some forward momentum, and for light bracing when needed to keep me stable and balanced. We walk in step together, and the dog can make instantaneous adjustments to its own pace and balance in response to my movements to keep me centered. A gentle but forward momentum pull both keeps me from falling backward and allows me to save some energy as the dog helps to propel us both, increasing my stamina so I can keep moving and navigate through crowds.

Now, finally, after two years of waiting for the right match, I’m so excited to be making preparations to welcome my next service dog home from Susquehanna Service Dogs!

My SSD mobility and balance dog has been carefully chosen and trained for me to ensure that she can meet my physical needs confidently in my environment. SSD requires all service dog recipients to attend a three-week training on site at their Grantville, Pennsylvania facility at the recipient’s expense. The fee for placement of each service dog is $5,000. While I have anticipated and prepared for the cost of placement, there are many other expenses associated with a three-week training out of state, and I am asking for help with this financial strain to take the last step in the process of finding a successor dog, beginning on October 14th. I am requesting $6,000 to help cover transportation, lodging, and food for the three-week training session, and the necessary custom mobility harness that my dog will use to assist me. I am also asking for support to offset the unpaid time that I’ll be away from work. Some of these estimated expenses are broken down more fully below. Any additional funds raised will be put toward the $5,000 fee for placement of the dog.

Transportation (includes round-trip travel to SSD from New York, rental car in PA, and rideshare fares as needed): $1600

Lodging: $2200

Food: $500

Mobility/balance harness: $950

I’ve been so fortunate to have experienced six incredibly freeing years with Service Dog Asher by my side, and to share our life together with the people we met along the way. I’m greatly looking forward to getting back to feeling safe in my daily adventures with Asher’s successor next to me, and am excited to share where this next chapter takes us.