Service Dog for Michelle

My name is Michelle I’m 23 years old and I am raising money to train a service dog. 

I went out in search of a puppy that was a good service dog candidate and that’s when I found a black standard poodle puppy. His name is Sampson

Let me tell you my story and what Sampson can help me with.

I was born with a congenital defect called Esophageal Atresia Ultra-long Gap, this defect required 9 surgeries from the time of birth to 4 years old, and then another surgery at the age of 21 years old. Due to my abnormal esophagus and stomach I suffer from constant GERD and I am on tons of medications for this, I also have gastroparesis from all the surgeries and my body can’t absorb the nutrients, I’m in a constant battle to keep on weight and will be going into another surgery for a permanent jejunum feeding tube soon.  At the age of 2 I suffered a stroke in surgery that effects the right side of my body. I developed asthma at the age of 2 years old, I have been in and out of hospital for this with pneumonia and flus for my whole life leaving me with only 43% lung function and will only get worse, my lungs are working very hard and it also contributes to my low weight. Along with normal asthma I also have allergic asthma, I have severe life threatening allergies that have gotten worse over time, I’m on a bi-weekly injection to help, I started that at the age of 13. With my allergies worsening I am having allergic reactions daily. On top of all of this I was diagnosed with Scoliosis with an “S” curve I had my spine fused from C6 to L4 when I finally stopped growing at 17 years old. They decided to leave a small part of the bottom of my spine without fusion L5 to S5. I will now have to get that portion fused in the near future. In total I have had 11 major surgery’s and 100+ surgical procedures 
My stomach not emptying and my scoliosis has left me with chronic pain in my neck, left base of skull, shoulders, upper middle and lower back, right hip, right thigh and right knee. I  am also suffering with muscle weakness due to the back surgery and stroke.

Having a service dog will give me independence. The dog will be trained to:

- Alert me to changes in medical conditions such as worsening asthma attack.
-Alert me to anaphylactic allergens in the area (i.e Latex, tropical fruits, peanuts. things that cant be seen but smelled)
-Wake me during asthma attack.
-Fetch medication (i.e. epipen, Benadryl, inhaler)
-Fetch phone to call for help
-Alert others to the need of assistance
-Reassuring me during medical crisis
-Watch over me until help arrives
-Assist me in sitting or laying down in case of impending medical crisis
-Assist me in getting up from medical crisis
-Assist with opening and closing doors
-Assist in carrying bags or basket.

Due to my many conditions I am also not able to live alone, having a service dog will give me the ability to do so. 

I had to stop working in September 2017, I have recently been told by my doctor I will most likely never be able to return to work. I am on disability and have been since I turned 18 but it is very little income. 

A part of the huge expense of having a Service Dog is the training. Sampson will need puppy class and basic obedience. He will also require 2-4 session a week of private lessons for the specialty training, we will have to go to a larger city for. Having to stay in a larger city and paying for private lessons will add up quickly. This training can take up to 2 years. We will also have to pay for the trainer to come with us to Vancouver B.C for Sampsons assessment. Just the assessment alone with the travel and trainer with us could cost up to $4,000.

It is a 5-8 year wait togo through any organization is Canada and when talking with organizations in the states the won’t work with Canadians. So we decided to go this route. Sampson is a standard Poodle and he was born April 13th. 

Once training is almost complete we will have government forms filled out by the trainer. Once the forms have been reviewed by the Justice Department, we will be invited to the Justice Institute of British Columbia. We will go to Vancouver and go through a BC Guide Dog and Service Dog Assessment. The dog must get 100% to pass. We will not go until the dog is 100% ready. 

Thank you for your help!