Service Dog for our daughter
Donation protected
Help us raise funds for our daughter's service dog-
Our 11-year old daughter suffered a horrific infection earlier this October which led to permanent organ damage and her right leg being amputated above the knee. She was so very sick and we lost her multiple times, but God is so good and she's on the mend! Truly miracles still happen and our God is still in the miracle-making business! We are grateful to have her back but her road to recovery, therapies, prosthetics, and finding her new normal will take many months. This tenacious girl has a fighting spirit like no other child we've ever met and she is such a blessing to our family- we and all our amazing friends and family are committed to walk every step of the way back to health with her.
She is dealing with so many new, bewildering, and painful circumstances that our family thinks a dog will do wonders for her. Being super medically complex (even prior to this incident) having that extra doggy-sense for fevers, infections, and seizures will be an invaluable help to us. Plus the help with balance and coordination while still helping her be independent is so needed. When I told her the other day, still in the PICU, that we would be getting her a dog, her eyes grew wide and that crooked smile that she's known for lit up her whole face. She's apparently been telling all her staff that she's getting a dog!
Having spoken with many people, we've decided to get her dog through On Command Training Academy out of Joplin, MO. They have been super helpful thus far in giving us all the information we need to get going. They're close to home and will be able to see us in our home environment as well. (Here's their link if you're interested https://www.oncommandcanine.com/ )
As many of you know, these dogs are highly trained and invaluable to their companions- but that comes at no small cost ($15,000 plus general care expenses - studies estimate between $25,000-35,000 for the life of the dog!) Unfortunately neither Medicaid nor any private insurance will help pay for any of their cost. We are actively looking into grants and scholarships as well but in order to get this (long) process going, we need a down-payment of at least $7500 (the rest is due upon completion of the training). The entire training program will run 8-12 months so getting this off the ground asap will help.
I (mom) will keep this page updated as I'm able. We'll do our best to pass along all her milestones! As many of our friends and family who know all the details of her story, God has His mighty hand on this child- His plans for her must be truly great for her to still be here with us. We all look forward to seeing what He has in store for this entire situation!
Thank you all in advance for your prayers, encouragement, and donations. Any monies collected over and above our immediate expenses will go into a separate fund to keep the dog healthy and continue with any training, rehab opportunities that we come across in the future.
Our 11-year old daughter suffered a horrific infection earlier this October which led to permanent organ damage and her right leg being amputated above the knee. She was so very sick and we lost her multiple times, but God is so good and she's on the mend! Truly miracles still happen and our God is still in the miracle-making business! We are grateful to have her back but her road to recovery, therapies, prosthetics, and finding her new normal will take many months. This tenacious girl has a fighting spirit like no other child we've ever met and she is such a blessing to our family- we and all our amazing friends and family are committed to walk every step of the way back to health with her.
She is dealing with so many new, bewildering, and painful circumstances that our family thinks a dog will do wonders for her. Being super medically complex (even prior to this incident) having that extra doggy-sense for fevers, infections, and seizures will be an invaluable help to us. Plus the help with balance and coordination while still helping her be independent is so needed. When I told her the other day, still in the PICU, that we would be getting her a dog, her eyes grew wide and that crooked smile that she's known for lit up her whole face. She's apparently been telling all her staff that she's getting a dog!
Having spoken with many people, we've decided to get her dog through On Command Training Academy out of Joplin, MO. They have been super helpful thus far in giving us all the information we need to get going. They're close to home and will be able to see us in our home environment as well. (Here's their link if you're interested https://www.oncommandcanine.com/ )
As many of you know, these dogs are highly trained and invaluable to their companions- but that comes at no small cost ($15,000 plus general care expenses - studies estimate between $25,000-35,000 for the life of the dog!) Unfortunately neither Medicaid nor any private insurance will help pay for any of their cost. We are actively looking into grants and scholarships as well but in order to get this (long) process going, we need a down-payment of at least $7500 (the rest is due upon completion of the training). The entire training program will run 8-12 months so getting this off the ground asap will help.
I (mom) will keep this page updated as I'm able. We'll do our best to pass along all her milestones! As many of our friends and family who know all the details of her story, God has His mighty hand on this child- His plans for her must be truly great for her to still be here with us. We all look forward to seeing what He has in store for this entire situation!
Thank you all in advance for your prayers, encouragement, and donations. Any monies collected over and above our immediate expenses will go into a separate fund to keep the dog healthy and continue with any training, rehab opportunities that we come across in the future.
Organizer
Bethany Cook Douglas
Organizer
Mount Vernon, MO
