Until a few days ago, I knew next to nothing about service dogs and how they help needy humans navigate life's daily struggles and ones which so many of us take for granted. What a well-trained service dog does is to act as a person's eyes and ears and promptly alerts them to pending "dangers."
What do you do when the only companion you have - and your safety valve in so many situations - is lost in a tragic car accident? Who do you turn to? How do you process the grief that overwhelms you? These are not questions to which there are easy answers. Difficult as it might be, this is where we, the Daily Kos Community, must step in if LoreleiHI is to have any chance of regrouping and achieving some normalcy in her life.
What are these potential dangers for someone like LoreleiHI who is disabled and hearing-impaired? She detailed the invaluable help that Dervish provided for her in a poignant, moving diary last week. Without his alerts, she was lost. He protected her until his last breath.
The last few moments of Dervish's life as a service dog
He was a great hearing alert dog. Nothing escaped his notice, not even the spiders he was afraid of. I never needed to worry about the door, or boiling water, the phone, an alarm, people walking around (even in the hallway outside my door!), and no matter what lovely interesting thing he was doing, the alert came first...
I sat back with him and he tried to get in my lap but couldn’t. We helped him. And I told him he was a good brave boy and much too quickly it was over. But it was painless, and he wasn’t alone, and it was thanks to all of you. I held him for a touch longer, and then let him go. He was gone, after all, but he was still warm, and that made it difficult. Checking his gums helped.
He’s being cremated singly, and I’ll get his ashes, a paw print, and some of his hair. Maybe it’s creepy to some people, but he was a service dog, and I want a part of him close.
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Fundraising Total Updates
I will try to keep you updated as best as I can. Know that LoreleiHI also has memory-retention issues. Thanks for your patience.
Update #1: As of 2:15 pm Eastern Time, we have a matching challenge of $250.00 from an anonymous donor. The next $250.00 donated = $500.00! Thanks.
Update #2: As of 3:20 pm ET, the total is up to $643.00, excluding the $250.00 matching contribution. Wonderful response so far!
Update #3: As of 4:20 pm ET, the total is $1,083.00. Please keep it going. We're inching nicely towards our goal.
Update #4: At 7:00 pm ET, the total stands at $1,494.00. Thanks for your generosity.
Update #5: At 9:15 pm ET, we're at $1,714.00. This is great, everyone.
Update #6 (Sunday, October 25th): As of 11:00 am ET, the total is up to $2,364. We are almost 24% there. Thanks and once LoreleiHI is available again this afternoon, I'll try to update.
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Dervish broke his spine during the accident. The next day, he was gone. You can read more about Dervish in these two diaries posted last week.
This is where Dervish was during the accident. His leg got trapped between the pushed in door the the pushed in footwell Dervish’s leg was caught between door and footwell.
This even proved true after the accident. His spine was fractured badly, and at first he had feeling. I had to free his leg from the debris, and at first he tried to get to me, but the way was blocked, so he dragged himself to the nearest clear-looking door (poor boy was wrong). There were a lot of people around (leaf-peepers?) and they helped a lot. Called 911, kept me calm, got my bag and phone, helped with Dervish, explained what happened to everyone. And Dervish did his best to tell me who was talking as I slightly borked my back huddling over him trying to keep him from moving. (Aside: I have bruised ribs, strained muscles, and some bruising. I got off easy and am thankful for the seat belts and airbag. Dervish took all my hurt.)
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Over the past week, many of us (including among others, snoopydawg, elenacarlena, emeraldmaiden, nannyboz, 2thanks, kathy in ga, officebss, peregrine kate, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, earicicle, One Pissed Off Liberal and Onomastic) discussed at length on how best to help Lorelei. Fully aware that she was still grieving and heart-broken after Dervish's loss, we asked her to contact service dog providers both large and small. After numerous email and Kosmail exchanges - during which I must mention that LoreleiHI conducted herself with great dignity - we agreed at the following solution, for which we need to raise $10,000.00 to help regain her independence.
LoreleiHI lives in rural Maine and nothing is close by. It will take her months to fully recover from injuries sustained in the car accident. Not an easy task at all. If we found ourselves in a similar situation, most of us wouldn't have a clue on how to proceed.
As best as I know, here's a summary of what she needs to do to get another service dog, an expensive, arduous process which will require extensive training, manners sessions, and for which she will have to drive the new dog to providers who specialize in this kind of work. None of them are located near her.
- Of the proposals she received this week, the easiest and most expensive one was going to cost $25,000. A fully-functioning service dog is not cheap. The most cost-effective solution is going to be around $6,000.00 which includes the cost of the service dog, numerous training sessions, and necessary specialized equipment. The equipment includes collar, leash, mesh vest, winter coat, gentle lead, harness (need to differentiate between work & play), lunge line, bait bag, vet bills, a leash sheath that says 'Service Dog' and a clip on badge saying the same and 'Access Required.'
- The car that she was driving belonged to a neighbor who, obviously, wasn't happy that it was totaled in the accident. As training sessions require the need to have reliable transportation, LoreleiHI can get a used car (one that will last her a few years) for a total of $6,000. This amount includes the cost, title, tags, taxes, and insurance. Without the ability of being mobile, this will simply not work for her.
- Of the funds raised through emeraldmaiden's diary last week, LoreleiHI has about $2,000.00 left over after paying for Dervish's cremation costs and other medical bills. It is entirely possible that she will have unanticipated medical bills herself in the near future, including expensive prescriptions.
As a reminder, please use the "Friends and Family" (no processing fees involved) option to contribute through PayPal as LoreleiHI will get 100% of the money. You can use her GoFundMe page, but GFM takes between 5%-10% as a cut and that diminishes your contribution.
Thank you and please do everything you can to help LoreliHI start afresh. She deserves to after the tragic events of last week.
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After a Tragic Car Accident, Please Help LoreleiHI Rebuild Her Life
- Preferred Option: Go to PayPal.com. Click Send Money to Family and Friends, which allows the recipient to get 100% of the donation. Enter LoreleiHI's email address loreleihi@live.com and the amount you are sending. The sender's name is visible to the recipient. Remember, every little bit helps and adds up in a hurry.
- Secondary Option: LoreleiHI also has a GoFundMe page. Please use this option to donate only if you do not use PayPal as GFM takes a cut from all donations, whereas using the "Family and Friends" option in PayPal enables LoreleiHI to get all of the money donated.
- If you would like to send a paper check or money order (to protect your real identity) through the US Mail, please send a kosmail to LoreleiHI to get the mailing address.
- You can also help by recommending this diary, offering encouraging comments, republishing to your Daily Kos groups, linking to your Facebook pages, and helping to spread the word through Twitter.
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