Hello friends, family, and community,

If you know me well, you might know some of the illnesses that I've faced for a long, long time. I have been grappling with a physical and progressive illness that has stolen my energy and my confidence and left me unable to do basic tasks on the worst days.

I’ve worked incredibly hard to manage the symptoms of co-occurring mental illnesses, consistent therapy, psychiatry, medication adjustments, hospitalization, surgery, and more. Still, I’ve found myself progressing towards a place that has scared me, and left me relying on others for basic needs. I could talk for hours upon end about the different diagnoses and everything I've tried to manage them. Instead, I'm grateful to share that I’ve found a solution to help me thrive in ways that I previously thought were unattainable for me.

I am fundraising for Little Angels Service Dogs as I wait for my own service dog. Little Angels provides service dogs to individuals in need. These dogs are highly, highly trained and skilled. My dog, in particular, will be trained in medical alert, boundary control, mobility assistance, and deep pressure therapy. In terms of cost, when you see my fundraising goal, I'd like you to know exactly what the numbers mean. Service dogs require multiple years of training before they are matched with their recipients. If you’ve boarded a dog before, you’ll know that the cost can dramatically add up rather quickly. Boarding a dog at just $50 a day culminates to over $50,000 after three years, which is the average age of many service dogs when they’re matched with their recipients. This money goes towards paying the incredible trainers who work with the dogs, paying for food, boarding, medical needs, and more.

Little Angels Service Dogs is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax-deductible. Regardless of the amount that you are able to donate, please know that it is life-changing and means so much to me. Your support means the world to me.

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Little Angels Service Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an Assistance Dogs International (ADI) accreditation. We provide highly trained assistance dogs to help children and adults living with disabilities to live more independent lives. Our mission is to maximize the innate ability of dogs to give the gift of independence to individuals regardless of disability or age.

Our primary purpose is to change the lives of people living with disabilities by helping them live a more independent life. Approximately 13% of Americans are living with disabilities, and less than 1% of that community use service dogs due to a mix of availability, costs, and barriers for service animals that still exist today. Our goal is to overcome those barriers for people living with disabilities to appropriately match service dogs with their recipients.

We train our service dogs to perform specific tasks and behaviors that mitigate the effects of a person's disability, enabling them to lead more autonomous and fulfilling lives. Results of various studies on the impact service dogs have on their owners living with disabilities have indicated that service dog ownership may include benefits like greater social and emotional health, independence, and overall quality of life.

Our service dogs include psychiatric (civilian and military), seizure alert, diabetic alert, hearing assistance, mobility assistance, and autism assistance. We firmly believe that all disabilities should be regarded with equal importance, irrespective of their visibility. Our team acknowledges our responsibility not only to our service dogs but also to the individuals we serve.

Claire's fundraising page for Little Angels Service Dogs

By Little Angels Service Dogs

Claire's fundraising page for Little Angels Service Dogs

Any donation amount is appreciated!