Willow’s Service Dog Training for Remi

Hey friends.  I’m at a loss here so I thought I’d reach out. Our son Remi(age 11) is mentally disabled (borderline bipolar, anxiety, ADHD, and disrupted mood regulation) we actually go tomorrow to get another psych evaluation since we’ve experiencing some other issues. He is part of a specialized therapy group ( CAT team) and they help fund activities and resources for our family. We recently got him a puppy since the school psychiatrist said that may help him, and she has! He loves this dog more than me most days her name is Willow and she’s a AKC German Shepherd and almost 9 months old. We recently got her evaluated to be a service dog at a training facility for him, mainly to help him stay calm because of his anger/destructive outbursts. We received a quote , sent it to the therapy organization and they denied it with the cost so high. They then called the trainer to discuss other options and again it was denied because of the cost being too high. I’ve reached out to other organizations to help with the costs and even have recommendations from psychiatrists and therapists, but with him being on Medicaid,  and not “physically disabled” we were told it wouldn’t be funded or he could be put on a waiting list that could take 1-5 years. Our son needs help now, and this is his dog, and he is her person. I couldn’t imagine separating them or having any other dog for him.  We are only asking for the first month costs with the trainer who evaluated her. He said she would be a phenomenal service dog for him but really needs to work on her confidence. The thing with training is your never know how long it could take and that’s where it can get expensive. Right now we’re just asking for the first month of $2699.00 as what the  trainer   asked for and highly recommended so she could at least start. After asking a local group for help, people started saying start a Gofundmez We were hesitant to do so with the huge costs and the times were in right now with covid but as a mother, I know In my heart that this dog would protect my son. She will be his voice. She will be his protector. She will continually be his best friend. And that is a unbreakable and can’t put a price on it bond. So we are asking with our hearts to please, help us help our son.  By prayers, funds, or even information, we will accept all forms of help. As a mother who all has seen her child suffer with all the medications, doctors, therapists etc, Willow is the only thing that will be able to help him during his immediate outburst where he may think to hurt others or himself. She could literally save his life and not just once time. We pray God will guide us and continue to provide. We thank you for taking the time to read this and ask for your prayers. Thank you.  

The total cost to train Willow for a service dog is $14,500.00. (Average is $25,000)We are asking help for the first month just to get her started and go from there.