Ruby's Medical Alert Dog!

Hi friends and family,

We all know this to be true by now – Ruby has had a bumpy beginning to her sweet little life. Every day, she continues to fight her way through it, all the while with that contagious smile on her face. We can’t imagine life without our Ruby.

Cerebral Palsy is Ru’s official diagnosis, which derived from her traumatic brain injury during birth. Her full-time care is split between her mom, dad and nana, with her fragile lungs and respiratory health paramount in her struggles. Taking care of Ruby is the purest joy in our lives, but it does not come without its struggles.

Pulmonary Alert Dogs was an incredible relief and source of hope to find and learn more about. Their work involves the capability of training a furry four-legged friend with specifications for Ruby's needs, with a focus on her pulmonary health. This potential dog can not only be an alert for Ru’s respiratory distress and fevers, but also a warm, calming presence and simply a sweet buddy to sit with her. We all know how powerful the love and presence of an animal by your side can be.

We desperately want this and dream of this for Ruby. We also need this as a way to find some stability and security in knowing when something is troubling our baby girl’s body.

It comes as no surprise that these profoundly important and life-altering dogs come with a high price. Ru’s potential dog will undergo two years of training, giving the necessary amount of time to tailor her dog’s alertness to her specific needs. In Ruby’s case, her dog will be trained to smell specific changes in her body before a seizure or fever occurs. They will also be so acutely in tune with Ruby that they will be able to alert us if she is in respiratory distress or experiencing a high heart rate.

The sole job of this dog will be to keep our Ruby safe.

The breakdown of the costs includes:

-$20,000 for a “Street certified service dog” (a licensed public access service dog) trained for Ruby's specific needs.

-$5,000 for any travel expenses and costs related to the graduation when she receives the dog.

Ruby leaves her mark wherever she goes and with whoever she encounters – I know she means so much to each of you. If you would like to be part of financially helping her obtain this truly quality of the life-altering animal, we would all be so appreciative. The simple truth is, we can’t do this on our own, without our community. Another simple, yet important way to help would be sharing this with others that want to be part of Ruby's story. <3

Thank you!

Love to you all, the Hanson's (Jess, Chris, Penny, Ruby and Ted)