Hello. My name is Jess, and I need your help in raising funds for a psychiatric service dog.

In 2020 I was diagnosed with C-PTSD and Bipolar 2 Disorder.

In many ways I am very lucky. I have a supportive network comprised of my family, friends and a fantastic psychiatrist – all of whom have been supportive while I find the right blend of medications that make my day to day doable.

But I am still struggling.

I have frequent vivid nightmares that make it difficult for me to get adequate rest. I dissociate and have panic attacks often. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to focus on my work. I feel like I need to weigh whether my personal safety is more important than going out with friends, which often results in social isolation. All of this makes it increasingly difficult for me to establish any sort of normalcy.

After significant research I am confident that I will benefit from having a psychiatric service dog.

A psychiatric service dog will help me:

• Remember to take my medications

• Interrupt panic attacks and dissociative episodes and help me return to the here and now

• Interrupt self-harm behavior

• Wake up from nightmares

• Calm down when agitated

• Create a safe space, physically and mentally

• Identify hallucinations

• Feel safe in public and social environments, allowing me to benefit from being in community with friends and neighbors

• Get help

Unfortunately, service dogs are very expensive. Even at the cheapest option, I expect to spend around $10,000:

• Cost of Dog: $1,500-$3,000

• Cost of Training Program: $800-$1,000

• Cost of Annual Maintenance (Food, Vet, etc): $1,200-$6,000

Thank you for your consideration. Any and all support mean the world to me.