Rebecca's New Service Dog

Hello,

My name is Rebecca Verlinden. I have Fibromyalgia, Migraines, two damaged vertebra (I can still walk), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder among several other less relevant medical problems.

Practically all of my medical issues mean that I live in constant pain, I have far less energy than average people do, I have a hard time getting around some of the time, I get very worked up very easily and have panic attacks. Unfortunately, whenever I get worked up it feeds back into pretty much all the medical problems and makes them much worse.

The single greatest help that I've found has been having a service dog. Stella is the dog in the photo. She keeps me calm, helps me get around, makes sure I walk straight, and helps keep an eye on my surroundings. I have enough bad history that having her alert me to anyone getting close is huge for me staying calm and being able to function in society.

I've had people ask me why I can't just go out with my friends or family. Unfortunately, there's multiple problems to this: people aren't always available, they've got stuff they need to do when they are with you, there's always some form of distraction, they'll go a few yards away and they won't notice my anxiety going way up.

Now why do I need to fund a new service dog when I have Stella? Unfortunately age comes to all of us. Service dogs reach retirement age between 8 and 10. Stella will be 9 in June and she’s just now starting to show signs of slowing down, being a little reluctant to go out. Before you worry about her, Stella’s been mine all her life and nothing’s going to change there.

The complete training of a new service dog can take somewhere between a year to a year and a half. Which means by the time Stella’s protege is trained, she’ll be over ten. Stella has a well deserved retirement coming, so I need to jump start this process. My medical issues mean that I can’t hold down a job, so my husband and I just can’t afford to finance this on our own. Please help me make this happen.


The following is a bit more information about my life that may help you to understand the necessity of me having a service dog.

I’ve had serious physical and psychological problems for nearly all my life. I was abused (physically and otherwise) when I was under 15 months old. My mother noticed that I was having more pain than most children when I was 4 years old. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia when I was 4 years old. For me fibromyalgia means being constantly in pain, exhausted, insomnia, severe muscle tension, etc.

I was molested and abused again when I was 9. The abuse has left me with a lot of anxieties, including a lot of problems being around men and in crowds. I always feel like there is no way I could adequately watch my back, which causes more tension which equals into more pain. My combination of medical problems tends to lend itself to situations where one medical condition is aggravated and the rest very easily follow.
I started having extremely painful migraines when I was 15. I have many triggers, see auras, become easily overwhelmed by sound and light. I keep my hair short so I have less pain, I wear sunglasses almost constantly while outside of my house and I have to be extremely careful about any kind of hat that I choose.

When I turned 20 I started having even more exhaustion than usual, dizziness when walking or standing for long periods, more tension than usual. I felt terrifyingly vulnerable and any time I get strong emotions it forms a feedback loop increasing my medical problems. It actually got to the point where I couldn’t get farther than two blocks from my house without someone I trust and a vehicle.

I was turning into a miserable hermit that spent all my time in a dark room with very little sound. My family and my husband were all helpless to solve my problems. I didn’t want to be on any more medication than I was already. It just looked hopeless. Eventually the idea of a service dog came to mind.

So I spent months researching and considering what I need from a dog and choosing this animal that was going to become a huge part of my life. I finally realized that all the stuff I was thinking of, I always compared to my own pet Stella. She’s been attached to me since she was 6 weeks old.
She’s alerted us to natural gas, pulled me (and my bike) all the way home after I crashed, usually knows when a migraine is about to hit and always lets me know if there’s someone coming close to me. She’s patient, loves being in environments that include many humans, and pays attention to me and my safety above and beyond anything else that may be happening.
Stella is smart and works hard to help me on a daily basis, however she is aging and due to her small stature and 45lbs weight she is beginning to struggle with the physical demands required of her. Stella has helped me: walk straight, stand from sitting or kneeling, pulling me up stairs, helping me to keep walking even though I’m exhausted, let's me know when people are approaching behind me, and lets me know when someone aggressive is coming toward me.

Stella remembers regular routines and specific routes taken daily from particular places, such as, when I was going to college she would redirect me if I went in the wrong direction for my next class and, lets me know when my family or friends are calling her name in a crowd. I’m actually getting teary eyed because she’s so integral to so much of my life, it’s hard to even think about how many different ways she helps me. We just start doing something and work together seamlessly.

That last one makes more sense if I explain about 4 years ago I was diagnosed as having 30% hearing loss in my left ear and minor loss in my other ear. I can hear fine if there’s no background, but if there’s sound other than what I’m trying to hear then I’m screwed. There’s no way I’m going to hear anybody from a distance. It’s actually even difficult for me to hear someone close to me, despite having a hearing aid.

While I’m adding to my medical history, I should also mention that in October 11, 2013 I was bucked off of a Percheron horse whose shoulder is taller than I am at 5’10. I will note it wasn’t her fault, but it happened. I had a compression fracture to my T12 and L1 vertebrae, which means parts of it shattered. I can still walk, although for a while the doctors didn’t know if that was going to be the case or not.

The doctors decided it would be worse to operate than not to. It took me 8 weeks to be able to walk around without the brace on, and another 6 months of physiotherapy before I could really start getting back to my usual life. I gained 50lbs over the 12 months after I broke my back. I’m still on painkillers so I can function; though between pain, exhaustion and migraines function has not equaled employed for over 2 years.

I was also diagnosed about a year ago with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which means that nearly anything can cause: high levels of stress, anxiety, startlement, lack of sleep, crankiness, trembling, obsession, compulsion, etc. For me, I get anxious very easily around crowds or even just 1 or 2 men. I can usually hold it together with my service dog there because she leans on me so I can feel she’s there, nudges my hand to get me to pay attention to her, will sometimes put herself between me and the person closest to me, and if I sit on the ground she lays against me.

So having had Stella as a service dog for 5 years, we’ve been living together as a team: dealing with exhaustion, high levels of pain, hearing loss, going to college, breaking my back, and visiting friends and relatives. Unfortunately, Stella is now 9 years old and ready to retire. It’s heart breaking for me but she completely deserves to have a nice pampered retirement.  She will continue to work until the training of my next dog is well underway, for about another year, and she’ll aid in it’s training by having it observe the various coping mechanisms and skills she has to help me deal with day to day life. In case you’re wondering, she will stay with me to the day she dies.

Any assistance that you could give me would be greatly appreciated!


Thank you,


Rebecca V

I have had it mentioned that making an actual cost breakdown would be helpful. Some costs may seem high but there is a reason I'm putting down that number. 

Puppy cost from breeder = 2500
Food = 240
Initial medical = 150
Toys/chews = 160
Beds = 160
Leashs/collars = 80
Routine vet care = 500
Transport = 400
Training treats = 150
Bowls = 50
Training aids = 200
Puppy kindergarten* = 120
Service dog gear = 300
Boots = 100
Coats = 80
Service vests = 200
Insurance = 552

* I have no problem training a dog on my own but socializing is a HUGE part of a to-be-service puppy's life.