Bringing Varick home and trained
Varick is an adorable Standard Poodle with curly red hair. He was brought into our life by a friend and fellow Air Force Wounded Warrior who donated him to us as a puppy for him to be trained to be my service dog. Unfortunately, through a series of unforeseen circumstances that training fell through and Varick has not been the aid we had hoped for. I made the decision to donate him to K9s for Warriors; the nation's largest provider of service dogs for disabled American veterans, where he would receive their training and if certified would be paired with a veteran on their waitlist. This was a very difficult decision but I knew he had the potential to be such a great service dog and if I couldn’t get him trained to be my service dog then he should go to someone who can train him and pair him with someone who needs him.
This week we learned that Varick has been medically disqualified from the K9s for Warriors service dog training program. We are sad that he did not qualify for their program but still want to give him the best opportunities possible. Although we did donate him to their nonprofit, they have given us the chance to take him back.
I hope that he still has the potential to be a great service dog and I would love nothing more than for him to be my companion and aid. I have applied and waited for a service dog for over 3 years and each time I have lost the chance. In my heart I know having him being returned to us is a sign that he belongs in our hearts and our family. Even if we learn his medical condition will prevent him from being a service dog, he will still be in our family.
After sharing our decision to donate Varick, I received an out pour of support and offers to help from family, friends and even strangers. I cannot thank you all enough! This week I have reached out to some them and shared the news of the opportunity to bring Varick home. K9 Collab is an obedience training company owned by a fellow Wounded Warrior here in San Antonio. He has graciously offered his services to help Varick. There he will learn/reinforce basic obedience skills, problem behavior solving as well as off-leash and social interaction skills. After that he will only need to be trained in the specific skills to assist me with my PTSD and anxiety. Another trainer I met here in San Antonio has great connections locally with nonprofits that train service dogs. She is actively working on pairing me with one of those places for Varick to complete his certification.
Where we need your help…I want nothing more than to bring Varick home, but we must travel to their facility in Florida to pick him up and the cost of his obedience training is a lot too. Since being medically retired from the Air Force, I have been unable to work due to the severity of my PTSD and anxiety. Having a service dog is one great step towards changing that. Our fixed income is certainly a barrier in getting Varick to receive training, but we are going to try to do whatever we can. The cost of the travel plus the obedience training he will receive is approximately $2500. If you can find it in your hearts to please consider donating, I will be forever grateful. YOU will be a key component on bringing this team together forever!
Learn more about our story here:
https://www.facebook.com/Lisa17Lisa/posts/10157451296337736
I would like to add that all of this would not be possible without the help from K9 Collab, K9s for Warriors and our friend who gave us Varick (he breeds puppies to be service dogs). Any money raised that goes beyond the cost of training and travel will be split between these three organizations and donated accordingly.