This fundraiser is to help me acquire a new service dog for mobility assist and medical alert purposes.

I suffer from chronic medical conditions, including a genetic connective tissue disorder known as Ehlers-Danlos, and conditions that affect my autonomic nervous system, my own causing neurocardiogenic issues with my heart and blood flow.

My service dogs are life savers. They have been trained to sense certain chemical changes and alert me to them, to keep me out of danger. They help me navigate daily life safely.

Journey, my current service dog, has hip dysplasia. Which basically ends his short career as a mobility assist and medical alert service dog. Losing him as my lifeline and partner is a huge loss of freedom for me in my daily life.

I now need to apply through an organization for a new assistance dog. I need to come up with money for the applications fees, which are $25 to $50 per organization. Then wait to be approved and matched with a dog. I need to start a huge fund raising effort to help me get the assistance dog I need, which in the end will likely cost over $5,000.

I don't have the financial ability to owner-trainer another dog myself like I did with Ember (my first dog) and Journey. It took me a year just to find Journey ( after reviewing countless candidates ). It's the risk of owner-training, you might think you find the perfect dog, but something unexpected could always happen.

I can't keep going through dog after dog after dog covering expenses for vet work, training, etc. just to have them not work out and have to start all over again. Which is why I am making the hard decision to turn toward an organization for an already trained dog. Getting one through an organization also means if I have problems in the future, or when the dog is ready to retire, I can get a successor dog through the program.

I will most likely end up approved going through Canine Partners For Life, which is located in Pennsylvania.

I need to travel to their facility for team training, which is a 3 week program. All expenses for travel to get there, hotel, plus transportation while there, cost for food and for admission to places for field trips during team training are my responsibility.

Here is info they give about related expenses coming out of my own pocket:

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To purchase basic supplies for the dog - cost approximately $300-$400.

To travel, at your expense, to CPL for a 3-week, mandatory team training session.

To arrange for your accommodations for the 3-week training session. Cost for hotel and meals are approximately $2000. Free housing with volunteers may be available but not guaranteed.

To arrange and pay for your daily transportation to and from CPL and on field trips for the 3-week training session.

To provide your own meals (breakfast, lunches & dinners) including some field trips out for meals (and for your aide if one accompanies you).

To provide your admission costs for field trips during 3-week training session – approximately $100 to $200 per person (and for aide if one accompanies you).

A requested donation (to be determined by a sliding scale – ranging from $1,000 - $3,000) should be sent to CPL before the start of team training.

Medical Alert students must be accompanied by another person during the entire 3-week team training session. ( *** This applies to me, which means I also need someone to go with me and cover their expenses too )

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This same sort of thing holds true for the other programs I qualify for. I have to travel to their facilities and pay for everything in the process, plus the money for the dog itself. Some organizations are able to offer dogs at no charge to their clients, but none that do service my area, or they do not train dogs to assist with the things I need help with or have other specific requirements for clients that I don't fall under.

I basically have to come up with over $5,000 to get a new service dog, before I can even get the dog.

I am starting that fund raising campaign now, in hopes I will have enough saved by the time I am approved and matched with a dog through one of these programs.

If you want to donate directly to me, my PayPal is leopardwolf@gmail.com

Here are links to fundraisers set both on YouCaring and GoFundMe:

http://www.youcaring.com/brittney-steptoe-428674

http://www.gofundme.com/steptoe-sdfund

You can share those links, this post directly, or both.

I also plan to try to reach out to local charities and businesses for assistance. Either in hopes of sponsorship or that they'd be willing to let me put up donation flyers and collection jars or something similar to help spread awareness and raise the needed funds.

If you are interested in reaching out to businesses or charities in your own area who may be willing to help, if you own a business and would like to help raise funds, or if you would like to help with fund raising through some other means, please contact me at leopardwolf@gmail.com so I can provide you with information on how to do so.

There is no donation too small. We are grateful for any and all financial help in reaching our goal.

Even if you cannot help financially, you can help by spreading word about this and posting it for more people to see. Share it with your family, your friends, and anyone else you think might be interested in helping. Encourage them to pass it along as well.

Feel free to post it to your LJ, FA, Facebook, Twitter, DevArt, Tumblr, blogs, and anywhere else such a post would be allowed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you in advance for you consideration, your thoughts, your time and your donations.

Love and light,

Brittney