Help Megan get a service dog!

Megan is a 20 year old girl who has been disabled her whole life due to a connective tissue disorder called Stickler Syndrome. She also has lot of other conditions, some caused by her connective tissue disorder, some not. Like adhd, anxiety, suspected autism, joint pain, vision loss, and tachycardia to name a few. Megan lost all of her vision in her left eye shortly after her 16th birthday due to multiple retinal detachments. Her tachycardia causes her heart to race, her to fatigue easily, and even causes her vision to go out and lose hearing briefly. This makes doing every day tasks extremely difficult. She finds it hard to just stand up some days.

It all takes a lot out of her and she’s found that having her current pet dog by her side is extremely helpful when dealing with every day life and the struggles of being disabled. After her mom died from cancer in early 2022, she became even more reliant on her dog, with her mental health. She’s trained her current dog, a 10 year old bulldog named Sherman, to alert to high heart rate, help her open and close doors, get her medication for her, and more. Sherman is okay at his job, but like Megan, he’s also blind in his left eye, plus he’s at the retirement age for a service dog which is usually 7-9 years old depending on the individual dog. Megan has realized that having a dog who is specifically trained to help her would be so beneficial.

She would have to train the dog herself with the help of a trainer, as she has so many different disabilities that any program she could go through wouldn’t be able to train the dog to do everything Megan would need. Luckily for her she loves training dogs, her current dog knows well over 40 commands, tricks, and tasks.

In her own words she’s said “I truly believe that a service dog would greatly benefit me. I get a taste of what it would be like when I’m out in pet friendly stores with my current pet dog, Sherman. I feel so free with a dog by my side, like the dog is carrying all the weight I didn't even realize I was bearing. I just feel so content and confident, and I miss it every second I’m without a dog.”

Megan has a puppy, he costs $1,500. Training the dog takes 6-24 months and would cost $4,500. Plus all the things that come with getting a new dog; crates, bowls, toys, beds, collars, vests, you name it. It’s very expensive upfront, but she believes it will be well worth it in the long run. That’s where this fundraiser comes in, Megan doesn’t work due to her disabilities and the three members of her family rely solely on her father’s income since her mom suddenly passed in 2022.

All extra funds raised past the goal will still go towards the service dog and his training.

Thank you for spending time with us, and donating, it means so much.