Ava Andrew and Belle Sypher-Piper
Donation protected
Updated February 2nd, 2016
Hello to everyone reading this post!
I began this go fund me page to raise money for training Belle, Ava's service dog (original post below). There is a lot of new interest and many of you are linked to our go fund me via facebook from my recent viral post about a great experience we had at Payless Shoe Source.
I started receiving messages from people wanting to offer financial help, and posted link to our page after the employees who helped us both later expressed that they hoped that we would be willing to accept further help if offered.
Any donations to our family will go directly to Ava's medical expenses (Naturopathic Physician/ immune boosting vitamin supplements not covered by insurance, specific diapers and skin care products for sensitive skin, Belle's training expenses/vet bills (class fees, treats, training supplies), and also things for Andy. Ava has continuing medical needs: In the past four months, my fierce little girl (BrAva) has had pneumonia, chicken pox, hand foot and mouth disease, upper respiratory infections, asthma attacks, ect. Ava had her second surgery to insert ear tubes about two weeks ago, and tomorrow she is having surgery again. We have begun exploring naturopathic treatments and adjusting nutrition to eliminate processed foods, refined sugars, and food dyes.
An update of Belle's service dog training: Belle is well trained and consistently alerting to Ava's asthma attacks and other medical concerns (recurring ear infections, mouth infections) by sniffing "check" and then sits while staring at me with ears pinned. If I do not immediately go to Ava she will bark/high pitched whimper. I consider her a task trained asthma alert dog, with other special abilities to alert me to infections or abnormalities with Ava's body.
Belle and I took our first group training course with Belinda Ahern, our regular trainer (BNA Training services, https://www.facebook.com/BNADOG) for AKC Canine Good Citizen Test. We failed the first attempt then proudly passed the second attempt. Belle is very smart and will pick up whatever I teach her. However, we both need more work in high distraction public environments so I'd like to take Urban Canine Good Citizen training course and test. Belle is busy watching over her girl right now during cold/virus season, come spring we will begin more focused training anticipating Belle going to school with Ava. Check out our facebook page for lengthy updates on Ava's health www.facebook.com/avaandisabelle
Thank you for taking time to read this and for the thoughts, prayers, well-wishes, and generosity. ❤
Original post from 2014:
Hello and thanks for stopping by our fundraising page!
My name is Katy Sypher- Piper, and I am the mother of a medically fragile eleven month old named Ava, and a one and a half year old Pit Bull puppy, Isabelle. On multiple occasions, Ava has stopped breathing, or was in respiratory distress and Belle will let my husband and I know by acting out, either she barks or runs back and forth in the hallway. The breathing issues have been attributed to GERD or Reactive Airway Disease/Asthma. She has also had bronchiolitis and RSV. Usually, we can get an attack to stop with nebulizer treatments or a combination of nebulizer/steroid medication, but it is much easier to get it under control with early identification of respiratory distress.
A few nights ago, I was out on the porch, and Ava was sleeping inside, I had a baby monitor with me. Belle was sitting with her head in my lap and she started shaking very badly. I thought there was something wrong with her, and when she didn't change behaviors, I checked on Ava and she wasn't breathing. A family member asked if I had ever considered service dog training, and while researching online I found that service dog training is very time intensive and expensive, but amazing and well worth it.
We need help raising money to pay for critical training to capture the alert that Belle does naturally already and have her do something consistent to let us know immediately in an obvious way that something is not okay with Ava. Unfortunately, due to Ava's medical needs I am not able to work. Aaron is working very hard full time as a mechanic, and we are barely scraping by as a single income household.
Thank you so much for your time and donations, we have a public facebook page dedicated to Ava and Belle that you can learn a little more about our family. www.facebook.com/avaandisabelle
Thanks again,
Katy Sypher-Piper
Hello to everyone reading this post!
I began this go fund me page to raise money for training Belle, Ava's service dog (original post below). There is a lot of new interest and many of you are linked to our go fund me via facebook from my recent viral post about a great experience we had at Payless Shoe Source.
I started receiving messages from people wanting to offer financial help, and posted link to our page after the employees who helped us both later expressed that they hoped that we would be willing to accept further help if offered.
Any donations to our family will go directly to Ava's medical expenses (Naturopathic Physician/ immune boosting vitamin supplements not covered by insurance, specific diapers and skin care products for sensitive skin, Belle's training expenses/vet bills (class fees, treats, training supplies), and also things for Andy. Ava has continuing medical needs: In the past four months, my fierce little girl (BrAva) has had pneumonia, chicken pox, hand foot and mouth disease, upper respiratory infections, asthma attacks, ect. Ava had her second surgery to insert ear tubes about two weeks ago, and tomorrow she is having surgery again. We have begun exploring naturopathic treatments and adjusting nutrition to eliminate processed foods, refined sugars, and food dyes.
An update of Belle's service dog training: Belle is well trained and consistently alerting to Ava's asthma attacks and other medical concerns (recurring ear infections, mouth infections) by sniffing "check" and then sits while staring at me with ears pinned. If I do not immediately go to Ava she will bark/high pitched whimper. I consider her a task trained asthma alert dog, with other special abilities to alert me to infections or abnormalities with Ava's body.
Belle and I took our first group training course with Belinda Ahern, our regular trainer (BNA Training services, https://www.facebook.com/BNADOG) for AKC Canine Good Citizen Test. We failed the first attempt then proudly passed the second attempt. Belle is very smart and will pick up whatever I teach her. However, we both need more work in high distraction public environments so I'd like to take Urban Canine Good Citizen training course and test. Belle is busy watching over her girl right now during cold/virus season, come spring we will begin more focused training anticipating Belle going to school with Ava. Check out our facebook page for lengthy updates on Ava's health www.facebook.com/avaandisabelle
Thank you for taking time to read this and for the thoughts, prayers, well-wishes, and generosity. ❤
Original post from 2014:
Hello and thanks for stopping by our fundraising page!
My name is Katy Sypher- Piper, and I am the mother of a medically fragile eleven month old named Ava, and a one and a half year old Pit Bull puppy, Isabelle. On multiple occasions, Ava has stopped breathing, or was in respiratory distress and Belle will let my husband and I know by acting out, either she barks or runs back and forth in the hallway. The breathing issues have been attributed to GERD or Reactive Airway Disease/Asthma. She has also had bronchiolitis and RSV. Usually, we can get an attack to stop with nebulizer treatments or a combination of nebulizer/steroid medication, but it is much easier to get it under control with early identification of respiratory distress.
A few nights ago, I was out on the porch, and Ava was sleeping inside, I had a baby monitor with me. Belle was sitting with her head in my lap and she started shaking very badly. I thought there was something wrong with her, and when she didn't change behaviors, I checked on Ava and she wasn't breathing. A family member asked if I had ever considered service dog training, and while researching online I found that service dog training is very time intensive and expensive, but amazing and well worth it.
We need help raising money to pay for critical training to capture the alert that Belle does naturally already and have her do something consistent to let us know immediately in an obvious way that something is not okay with Ava. Unfortunately, due to Ava's medical needs I am not able to work. Aaron is working very hard full time as a mechanic, and we are barely scraping by as a single income household.
Thank you so much for your time and donations, we have a public facebook page dedicated to Ava and Belle that you can learn a little more about our family. www.facebook.com/avaandisabelle
Thanks again,
Katy Sypher-Piper
Organizer
Katy Leigh
Organizer
Clinton, CT