An Assistance Dog for Jay
Hello, My name is Jay, I am Deaf, Autistic, have Tourette's syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and multiple other disabilities.
I love archery, bowling and art.
I have had a few Assistance Dogs in my life and over a year ago had to retire my assistance dog due to medical reasons, he couldn't work for me anymore and I put the dogs health first always. I am now seeking to get my next dog to train however the cost of dogs since covid has tripled and being on a disability pension makes it difficult to come up with the amount required as well as covid having caused a lot of difficulties.
My pets are always well looked after and their health and care is always a priority.
Having an assistance dog enables me to access the community, remain calmer and feel safer should I have a seizure or get overloaded by things out of my control. They also alert me to sounds, retrieve things I drop and more.
I was more outgoing and sociable with a dog with me, having retired my dog has left me withdrawn and not communicating or participating in a lot.
I am on NDIS however getting funding is difficult as anyone trying to get an assistance dog funded would know and the sooner I can get a dog the sooner I can be training them to standards for public access.
I also do not have friends or family to help me with this huge cost and due to abuse and discrimination most of what I deal with is alone. It is difficult to ask for help but this is a need that would help me well into the future.
The amount I am asking for is less than getting a fully trained dog. I am putting what I can out of pocket to the funding as I can.
Any money left over from fundraising would go towards the care and training of the dog.
I have had this fundraiser up for a while and though many have donated it has not been enough to fund a dog, I continue to try and hope that I can manage this so I can continue advocating and more. I would love my independence again.
Thank you for reading,
Jay.
Note- Daniel Hunter is my full time carer and recieves the funds on my behalf but all donations go to me getting an assistance dog.