Help Caitlin Get Her Service Dog!
Donation protected
My name is Caitlin Cantrell. I have POTS, dysautonomia, gastroparesis, scoliosis, and chronic fatigue. In short, I am a medical nightmare and I no longer have a service dog. Right now I am trying to pay off a pup from a reputable breeder, but I pay $300 a month out of my disability checks to do this. This leaves me with very little food, no money to pay my phone bill, and sometimes it even means I will not be able to pay for my various medications.
Please, please help me pay off this pup. It would mean the world to me and having a service dog again would give back the independence I lost with my previous one. I'm not asking for thousands upon thousands of dollars-- I just need this much.
Concerns/questions below.
Q. If you can't afford 1500 up front, how will you pay vet bills?!?!
A. Vet bills, unless in the case of emergency, are not going to be 1500 up front. I also have access to Care Credit in case of extreme emergencies.
Q. If you can't afford 1500 up front, how will you pay for food, toys, and training?!?!?
A. I have yet to find a dog food brand that sells for 1500 a month, and dog toys are easy to come by. I do all of the training myself, as I always have.
Q. Why not just get a craigslist dog, or go to a shelter?
A. I need a dog that I 100% know will be reliable. The pup I am getting comes from health-tested (OFA) parents, and raised in a clean, loving environment before it comes home to me. Shelter dogs are a big toss-up when it comes to SD work. They wash out more times than not, and I mentally could not handle returning dog after dog after dog to the shelter.
Q. If you buy from a breeder, aren't you killing shelter dogs?
A. No. This is a myth. Reputable breeders do not add to the population of shelter dogs and strays.
Q. What will your service dog do?
A. Tasks that mitigate my disabilities. He will be trained to get help when I faint, alert me before I faint so I can lie down and get in a safe position, alert to high heart rate, retrieve dropped items, pull my wheelchair when I experience weakness in my hands/arms, perform deep pressure therapy, and assist me when I have trouble walking.
Q. What will happen if this dog does not make the cut to be a service dog? What if he washes out of training?
A. In the unlikely event that this pup doesn't have the right temperament for training, a degenerative disease crops up (highly unlikely), or trauma occurs that cannot be resolved, he will return to his breeder and I will refund as many people as I possibly can. He will not go to a shelter, he will not be put down (unless his hypothetical injury or illness is fatal/he is suffering beyond what could be considered humane/he is untreatable in some way), and he will not be set out onto the streets. Not every dog is cut out to be a service dog, but coming from health-tested breeding stock with titles and working drive all are positive factors that increase the likelihood of the dog succeeding as a SD.
Please, please help me pay off this pup. It would mean the world to me and having a service dog again would give back the independence I lost with my previous one. I'm not asking for thousands upon thousands of dollars-- I just need this much.
Concerns/questions below.
Q. If you can't afford 1500 up front, how will you pay vet bills?!?!
A. Vet bills, unless in the case of emergency, are not going to be 1500 up front. I also have access to Care Credit in case of extreme emergencies.
Q. If you can't afford 1500 up front, how will you pay for food, toys, and training?!?!?
A. I have yet to find a dog food brand that sells for 1500 a month, and dog toys are easy to come by. I do all of the training myself, as I always have.
Q. Why not just get a craigslist dog, or go to a shelter?
A. I need a dog that I 100% know will be reliable. The pup I am getting comes from health-tested (OFA) parents, and raised in a clean, loving environment before it comes home to me. Shelter dogs are a big toss-up when it comes to SD work. They wash out more times than not, and I mentally could not handle returning dog after dog after dog to the shelter.
Q. If you buy from a breeder, aren't you killing shelter dogs?
A. No. This is a myth. Reputable breeders do not add to the population of shelter dogs and strays.
Q. What will your service dog do?
A. Tasks that mitigate my disabilities. He will be trained to get help when I faint, alert me before I faint so I can lie down and get in a safe position, alert to high heart rate, retrieve dropped items, pull my wheelchair when I experience weakness in my hands/arms, perform deep pressure therapy, and assist me when I have trouble walking.
Q. What will happen if this dog does not make the cut to be a service dog? What if he washes out of training?
A. In the unlikely event that this pup doesn't have the right temperament for training, a degenerative disease crops up (highly unlikely), or trauma occurs that cannot be resolved, he will return to his breeder and I will refund as many people as I possibly can. He will not go to a shelter, he will not be put down (unless his hypothetical injury or illness is fatal/he is suffering beyond what could be considered humane/he is untreatable in some way), and he will not be set out onto the streets. Not every dog is cut out to be a service dog, but coming from health-tested breeding stock with titles and working drive all are positive factors that increase the likelihood of the dog succeeding as a SD.
Organizer
Nicky Cantrell
Organizer
Baton Rouge, LA