Defending Our Beloved Service Dogs Ivy and Owen

Dear Friends and Kindhearted Supporters,

Most of you know the unfortunate story of our beloved service dogs, Ivy and Owen, who are scheduled to be euthanized based on lies and a troubling cover-up by the City of Modesto. A neighbor falsely claimed that I set my dogs on them, stating they were “aggressively attacked.” The reality is far different; Ivy was provoked and made a defensive bite that was minor and required just one stitch.

What’s even more distressing is that one of the individuals involved threatened my life, a fact omitted from the police report, leading to a snowball effect of misinformation and injustice. Since this incident in May, Ivy and Owen have been confined in quarantine, and we have been unable to see them for nearly four months. My heart aches every day knowing they are caged, especially when they have always been well-behaved and loving companions.

I couldn’t give up on them. I just can’t. After much consideration, we made the difficult decision to hire a law firm that specializes in these matters for a final appeal. This is a financial burden we cannot easily bear, as we are at this time living solely on a fixed income after a recent major move.

We are reaching out to you, our compassionate community, to help offset some of these costs. Any contribution, no matter how small, will bring us closer to securing a chance for Ivy and Owen to live the lives they truly deserve. They are family; Ivy has already faced so much in her life before we adopted her three years ago, and Owen, who was once a happy-go-lucky puppy who I adopted at 5 months from the East Bay SPCA, is now growing into adulthood in confinement.

Your generosity will not only aid us in our fight but will also show that compassion can triumph over adversity. Thank you for considering our appeal. We are profoundly grateful for your support during this heartbreaking time.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Sandy and Steve