Dear friends and dog lovers,

Elko the Therapy Dog and Ms. Laurie Vidt-his mom need your help.

The dynamic duo have worked side-by-side for the past 10 years. First as a guide dog puppy in training and then as a career change Therapy Dog at Sierra Vista K8 in Vacaville Ca. Being a resource teacher Mrs. Vidt serve students with Special needs. Sometimes those special needs are just a quiet place to be and that’s where Elko comes in. Therapy dogs provide non-judge mental support and encouragement to those students. Having Elko at their side while learning a new skill or taking a test provides a student with reassurance and reduces their stress. Elko is a friend when all students need it the most! Elko is also the schools an official mascot and welcomes everyone to school each day.

He and Ms. Vidt often teach Saturday School, show up for school events as well as attend promotion ceremonies. Elko comes ready for each occasion donning school colors or corresponding costumes for the event. Elko brings fun and solidarity to the staff and ALL the students. Lastly, just having a big black lab at school to love is totally awesome!

Currently, Elko is having neurological issues and has a newly discovered sarcoma tumor on his left leg. His difficulties started with his right leg giving out and showing signs of weakness in April. Elko was unable to walk correctly and would often fall down. He also began struggling to walk long distances and had to be left home from nightly walks. This was heartbreaking because Elko went everywhere with Mrs. Vidt and was sad to be left at home. So we bought a wagon for him to come along. When investigating the neurological disability, the vet found that Elko has a mass in his left leg that needs to be removed. Through it all Elko remains good-natured but he missed his students and coworkers at Sierra Vista and all of the end of the year parades.

The pandemic made getting Elko into a veterinarian difficult because of reduced hours. Currently Elko is seen by a neurologist in Sacramento as well as his local vet. He has undergone x-rays, blood draws, spinal tap, and an MRI scan as well as a biopsy on his leg.  What started out to be a neurological issues has now developed into multiple medical issues. So far the (INITIAL) veterinarian work has been over $4000. Since these first test have not revealed the major cause of Elko issues Ms. Vidt will be incurring more expenses to diagnose and treat Elko. Furthermore, Elko will require surgery to remove the tumor and physical therapy to regain his strength as well as ongoing medication. The medical quest is estimated to be at or over $10,000.

Mrs. Vidt is a dedicated teacher and has worked with Vacaville USD since August 2013 in that time she has taught and encourage numerous students she was honored with Sierra vista teacher of the year 2017/18. For 20 years she has trained puppies for Guide Dogs For The Blind. Moreover, she spotted Elko‘s potential and trained him to become a therapy dog. Mrs. Vidt goes above and beyond for all of her students, friends and family as well as our community. She knows that her students need a Elko the Therapy Dog. On a teacher’s salary, Elko‘s medical expenses are huge financial strain.

Please show Mrs. Vidt and Elko the support they have given our children and community, give your support to help Elko the Therapy Dog get well. Let’s have Elko back in the class this Fall.

To check in on Elko and to stay updated, please follow Elko on Instagram @ElkosLife