Jennifer Scranton Service Dog

Jennifer is mother to Phoebe(17) and Gavin(14). Jennifer has served our community for several years in the medical field, most recently as a paramedic.  My name is Julie Miller.  I have been a close friend of Jennifer's for more than 15 years.  I have seen a steady and serious decline in her mobility and functioning over the last year.  Walking and arm movement has been seriously affected.  She has recently had to stop working due to her decline in function and overall health. Her doctors are now recommending a service dog to help her in her daily life.  

Below is some information about her medical disorders/diseases.  

Psoriatic arthritis(PSA) is a rare autoimmune disorder that affects joints, ligaments, tendons, and internal organs. Psoriatic arthritis also causes heart disease and increased risk of heart attack.  Enthesitis is unique to PSA and extremely painful. The body attacks where ligaments and tendons attach to bone, which causes severe pain and weakness and deformities. PSA makes daily activities, like getting up, walking, writing, dressing, opening doors, etc difficult.

Unfortunately, the disease went undiagnosed for many years and a suitable treatment program hasn't been found yet. In addition Jennifer is allergic to pain medication which makes the situation worse.

Jennifer has osteoarthritis(OA) of the lower back from being a paramedic, which is untreatable. This causes difficulty walking, and again, constant pain. She was recently diagnosed with a rare, aggressive,  form of OA that destroys cartilage over the course of months. PSA  and both forms of OA are progressive diseases that will affect her quality of life forever.

Fibromyalgia is thought to be secondary to having undiagnosed and untreated PSA.  It causes widespread muscle pain and weakness, and makes daily activities difficult.

Pain, weakness and fatigue come on suddenly and without warning. On occasion this has left her stranded in the middle of stores and schools, struggling to return to her car. For her safety,  her physicians have advised she limit her excursions until she has a service dog. She currently has to schedule many outings around when people can go out with her.  

What a brace and mobility dog can do for Jennifer: 
Jennifer needs help getting around on a daily basis due to pain, stiffness, weakness and balance issues. It can help keep Jennifer safe when she's home alone by helping her with stability, balance, helping her up, and picking things up for her. It will provide her independence by assisting her at the supermarket, opening doors, running errands, and attending her children's events with her. It can carry things for her and support her when she feels weak.  A service dog will give Jennifer more freedom and confidence because it will be trained to alert her prior to episodes of weakness and fatigue. In addition the dog will assist with exercises necessary to slow the progression of heart disease related to psoriatic arthritis. Studies show that a service dog can delay the need for a wheelchair for people with her conditions by keeping her active. 

Jennifer has been in contact with a local Omaha trainer,  Russ Dillion, owner of Dillon's Dog Training. He will select and train a rescue dog for Jennifer.  You can read more information about this trainer at the following web site:  
http://www.dillonsdogtraining.com/#2691,

Given her loss of employment, she has no way to pay for the cost of the service dog and its training.  Please consider a donation.  She is hoping to begin working with the trainer in mid April.  Any amount is greatly appreciated.