Help Weston Get A Seizure Dog

Hello! My name is Lindsay and I am the (favourite) Auntie to the sweetest 12 year old boy, Weston. West loves transformers, basketball, Pokémon, Lego and hanging with his friends and family. He gives the BEST 12 year old hugs ever! He is also one of the most resilient kids I get to love on.

About Weston

Weston was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was less than 1 year old.

The type of seizures he has are progressively damaging and possibly life limiting. Weston gets no warning at all when a seizure is coming, and so it affects all areas of his life. Weston has had to relearn simple things like riding his bike, reading, bouncing a ball, and brushing his teeth several times because those skills are destroyed by seizures.

With each damaging seizure, the cognitive gap between Weston and his peers gets wider. We hope that a trained seizure dog will help fill the gap for Weston so he can live his best life. The dog would also be a constant source of support for him, so he is never alone.

Seizure Dogs

The organization that has been chosen to provide a certified seizure dog for Weston is Aspen Service Dogs, who is an Alberta Government Qualified Service Dog Organization. Having met the requirements of the Alberta Training Standard, per the Service Dog Act of Alberta, Aspen Service Dogs prides itself on supplying highly trained, well-behaved canines that are able to perform a variety of tasks for their human partner. Aspen Service Dogs is one of only a handful of organizations approved to produce and train Service Dogs in Alberta. Distinctly different from Therapy Dogs, their Service Dogs receive specific training to meet the needs of their human partner; the standards of the training these dogs receive is very high.

Quietly serving and being of assistance, Aspen’s dogs are skilled, trained professionals in their own right. Aspen Service Dogs provides canines that understand their tasks and duties as a Service Dog, and are eager, disciplined, and humble in service. They are invaluable, dedicated helpers. They are physically able, healthy, and have the correct temperament to be of service.

How Will A Dog Help Weston

Some of the tasks that are planned to teach Westons new dog are things like activating an emergency system for paramedics, licking his face to encourage him to breathe, and standing over him and barking to alert people that something is wrong. The hope is that all the training and certification will be completed when Weston is 14 years old and in grade 9. The possible freedom that he could gain with the help of a trained service dog is priceless.

What I Am Asking For

The investment of getting a seizure dog for Weston is large. Not only financially, but there is also a large time commitment for the family since the dog will be trained by Weston’s Mom and Dad. There is also the cost of obtaining the dog from a breeder (the dog has to be a very specific type of dog with a very specific temperament in order to be a good fit), along with the cost of the training itself (which takes years) as well as incidental costs (I.e travel to the breeder and the trainer, specialized accessories for the dog and many other things that add up). The total financial investment will be somewhere between $33,000-$35,000. This is a significant amount for my sister and her family and so I am setting this up in order to help alleviate the cost for them. It is my deepest hope to see my nephew with a seizure dog companion that will enhance his quality of life in so many ways.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your consideration. Every little bit helps, and if you are unable to financially support this goal, please consider sharing this with your network so we can extend our reach and achieve our goal!

Again, thank you.