Help Julia Bring Her Future Service Dog Home

Sometimes events in your life seem to go as planned, but there are times when despite all your efforts, prayers, wishes, and plans, things do not turn out as you expect. Sometimes they don’t turn out the way you want at all. Nine years ago, Julia was placed with Hope, an incredible service dog that provided mobility assistance which changed and expanded her life giving her more freedom allowing her to step out of her comfort zone and do things that were once extremely hard and some that were impossible to do alone. In addition to mobility assistance, Hope’s happy demeanor was an incredible icebreaker and Julia made many new friends because of it. Julia was able to travel cross-country, safely navigate her day-to-day schedule, and attend social events for the first time ever opening a new world to her. Sadly, years later Hope became ill and despite best efforts, she did not survive. It seemed that the universe had a plan for Julia, and a month after Hope passed away, a puppy named Echo was born that would become Julia’s next service dog and the most incredible companion. While this puppy grew, Julia watched videos, looked at hundreds of photos, and even had Zoom calls to watch Echo’s training and the growth of this puppy. By the time he was trained, she was completely in love with Echo. There was something very special about him. His sweet personality and submissive nature made him a favorite with everyone who met him. Echo filled Julia's heart with love, and she always felt that they would grow old together. Sadly, this was not to be as just three short years later, Echo was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. Julia worked with a team of doctors in Los Angeles providing Echo with extensive medical care. Although Echo and Julia made countless trips to this team of specialists, Echo’s health continued to decline, and he was eventually diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease for which there was no cure. His future was estimated to be months. After receiving this devastating news, Julia cherished and celebrated every day with Echo. Despite the best care, this disease took his life, depriving Echo of the life he deserved. With the bond they had, Julia was sure that her heart would stop as well because she couldn’t imagine living for a moment without Echo. When Echo was first diagnosed, Julia said that she would not get another service dog as Echo meant the world to her and her heart couldn’t take another loss. As strongly as she felt, once alone, it became apparent that she did need the help that a service dog provides. After considering several options, Julia decided to get a dog from Angel Retrievers. It will be a dog that has started its advanced service dog training but will not yet be fully grown. Julia will bring the puppy home and with help from Angel Retrievers will complete the training. Julia will be comfortable with this method as she is experienced with service dogs. Julia chose this option for several reasons, but the biggest draw is that the puppy will be younger. During the time spent training, they will form a strong bond like the bond she had with Hope and Echo. She is looking forward to creating a special bond with this new pup. Also, having another dog in the home will be so beneficial even before it is able to provide all the mobility tasks she needs. Having that companionship and that love at this time of grief will be so important.

Julia is hoping to receive this puppy in the next few months, but before she can take the puppy home, she must first raise the funds as unlike service dog agencies, this organization requires the owner to pay upon receipt of their puppy thus allowing Julia to cut years of the wait time before she receives her new service dog. The cost for Julia’s new dog will vary based on several factors including the age of the puppy and the amount of training it has already received. For the best outcome, Julia should receive her new dog before it is 10 months old. To make this happen, Julia must raise $7,000 Julia needs your help! Once this amount is raised, she will receive a puppy that was chosen and started its training specifically to match her needs. Every dollar raised will go into a specific account to be used to purchase the dog. Any excess funds will be used to cover travel costs to Southern California to pick up her puppy when it is ready. Prior to Echo passing, Julia received donations to help with Echo’s medical bills. Even with excellent insurance, Julia’s out-of-pocket costs were well over $12,000 and she is still paying off these bills. The $12,000 does not include the high costs of driving from Northern California to Southern California many times. Although Julia has this debt, any money raised from this GoFundMe campaign will not be used for Echo’s bills but will only be used towards the new dog. Julia wishes she did not have to ask for help and could just do this 100% on her own, that is not possible at this time. Julia needs your help! Despite living with a disability, Julia works a full-time job that covers her living expenses; however, the financial cushion she once had was depleted by Echo’s medical expenses. Unlike many of us, Julia’s expenses include paying for things that we can do for ourselves. Julia needs your help to get her future service dog. The idea of having another service dog by her side has given her something to look forward to. Julia has said that without Echo it feels like she is just sitting at home in a black hole. Any donations that we get will help move her back into a healthier, happier, fully functioning life. Her heart will always ache for Hope and Echo but will hopefully soon expand to hold love for another. Julia is and always has been very grateful for her friends and family and we would love to see her out with a beautiful pup by her side again, but she needs your help to accomplish this.