No Love like a Dog’s Love

Hi, my name is Theresa and I am raising funds to help my senior father, Rick Fregoso, find his next heart dog and provide funds for training as a depression therapy dog.

May of this year, my dad lost his amazing golden retriever Philo. This was heartbreaking for many. Philo was my dad’s ever present companion. From the moment he arrived in my dad’s life as a silly puppy, he went where my dad went. No less than 3 walks a day, roaming whatever neighborhood they found themselves in. No matter the problems/issues of the day, having Philo got my dad up and moving. Like many, my dad has battled with depression and anxiety, and with out Philo, his mental and physical health have been going the wrong direction. He said he wanted another dog, but he wanted to be in better shape first, be less stressed first, this first, that first. And as is life, none of those things happened or got better. Then there was last week, where he was “prescribed” getting a new dog for the improvement of his general well being.

So that leads us to now, the great golden retriever puppy search of winter 2022. Why a puppy, why not adopt, why not foster? He has adopted, a rescued 7 year old golden named Murphy, he was awesome. He did rescue, a four year old female Akita, Osa, whose owner died of cancer. She loved us and was loyal and protective of her family. They were both amazing dogs, but they came with many question marks and quirks in their behavior. All of that was not an issue for my dad back then, but the same can’t be said for today.

Philo came into my dad’s life by happenstance as a puppy, shortly after the loss of Murphy, and it was amazing from the start. He was raised alongside two kittens, and he was always a cat friendly dog.

Today my dad has another cat, big guy named Pisho, a rescue from the shelter. And he really wants a puppy that can come in while the cat is bigger than him, so he will always respect cats.

Still, a puppy you might say, he is crazy, so much work! But right now, that is actually the point. He needs that little puppy to require his attention, his activity, to get my dad back to living a life that will keep him around longer not just for a puppy, but for us that love him!

That brings us here. Acquiring the funds to get a healthy golden retriever puppy from a reputable breeder. Before he does something like take out a loan to buy a puppy, we are hoping to raise as much money as possible to make this happen. I know a golden puppy costs anywhere between $1500-$2500. Any funds raised above the cost of the puppy will be used for puppy set up, initial vet care, and most importantly, service dog training!

Thanks so much for reading this far. And if you are able, thanks for helping my dad.