Hoping for Another Best Friend
Donation protected
My name is Erica Way and as many of you know, 11 months ago I lost my service dog and best friend, Baker, to cancer. The pain from that loss still hurts. Baker had been there for so many milestones in my life, always by my side along the way. He left too soon, but then again he and I would never be ready to part company. (Here is a link to Baker’s starring role in the first season of Animal Planet’s Dogs 101 -- start at 4:25)
Baker completed me…he was my other half. He can never be replaced and will never be forgotten. After the loss of my beloved Baker, I didn’t think I would ever want to open my heart to another dog. But as time passes, I’ve come to realize if another four-legged friend could give me even half the joy that Baker brought me, I’d do anything to experience that again.
I am ready to open my life to another companion and have applied to NEADS once again. I’ve recently learned I’ve been accepted to the program and am now on the waiting list while they find and train a pup for me.
The average wait time for a service dog at NEADS is 6-9 months. In the meantime I have to raise $9,500 to help pay for the cost of raising and training my future pup, though the full cost to train a service dog is over $25,000. My goal is to raise $10,260 because GoFundMe takes 8% of each donation. Though NEADS provides a fundraising page, I have chosen to create this GoFundMe page as my primary platform for a few reasons. NEADS does not divulge names of donors, even those who do not request anonymity, and this deprives me the important privilege of personally thanking those who contribute towards helping me acquire my new companion. Unlike the GoFundMe page, which updates in real time, the NEADS site is only updated on a weekly basis, which might be frustrating to some. (If you are a company and would like to make a tax-deductible donation, please contact me on this site for more information)
Any contributions, thoughts, prayers, and shares will be very helpful and greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for helping me obtain my goal!
Baker completed me…he was my other half. He can never be replaced and will never be forgotten. After the loss of my beloved Baker, I didn’t think I would ever want to open my heart to another dog. But as time passes, I’ve come to realize if another four-legged friend could give me even half the joy that Baker brought me, I’d do anything to experience that again.
I am ready to open my life to another companion and have applied to NEADS once again. I’ve recently learned I’ve been accepted to the program and am now on the waiting list while they find and train a pup for me.
The average wait time for a service dog at NEADS is 6-9 months. In the meantime I have to raise $9,500 to help pay for the cost of raising and training my future pup, though the full cost to train a service dog is over $25,000. My goal is to raise $10,260 because GoFundMe takes 8% of each donation. Though NEADS provides a fundraising page, I have chosen to create this GoFundMe page as my primary platform for a few reasons. NEADS does not divulge names of donors, even those who do not request anonymity, and this deprives me the important privilege of personally thanking those who contribute towards helping me acquire my new companion. Unlike the GoFundMe page, which updates in real time, the NEADS site is only updated on a weekly basis, which might be frustrating to some. (If you are a company and would like to make a tax-deductible donation, please contact me on this site for more information)
Any contributions, thoughts, prayers, and shares will be very helpful and greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for helping me obtain my goal!
Organizer
Erica Way
Organizer
Webster, MA