A Service Dog for Miranda

Hi! I’m Miranda! I am working on fundraising money to get a multipurpose service dog to regain independence in my life and manage my ongoing mental disabilities.

A service dog as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is “a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability.”

Service dogs can vary greatly in price depending on many factors such as owner-trained vs fully trained by an organization. The current average price of a service dog is $15,000 to $30,000 which includes breeding, raising, training, and placing the dog.

In 2017, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. I was started on medications to help alleviate the symptoms I was experiencing. As years have gone on, my symptoms have worsened and I have gained more diagnoses than I expected for myself. Some of these include:

I am continuing to be evaluated for some other disabilities such as Autism and ADHD, and am working towards stabilization. Through research and discussion with a psychiatrist, we both believe that a service dog would greatly benefit me with stabilization and independence. These disabilities have led to self-isolation which makes it very difficult for me to be independent and go out in public for any reason. My disabilities present in many forms but lead to extreme hypervigilance, heightened fight or flight response, panic attacks, and disassociation just to mention a few. I am applying to veterinary school and hope to start in the Fall of 2024. I believe having a service dog would be a vital part of my success through veterinary school.

A service dog will help with:

It is very difficult to be so open and vulnerable, but everyone needs help sometimes. I am learning to not be afraid to ask for help when it is needed and that it is not a burden to ask for help.

Any sort of help or support is greatly appreciated. All of the funds will go directly towards the pup, training, medical expenses, etc.

Miranda