Hi, my name is Emma. I'm a lot like other sixteen year-old girls. I like Instagram and TikTok, I love pizza and ice cream, and I enjoy hanging out with my friends. But one way I'm different is that I suffer from clinical anxiety and my emotions can sometimes be overwhelming. I've worked hard to learn ways to cope but each day still has its challenges. I can walk to the mailbox by myself now, but social situations can be scary.

Over the past few months, my parents, therapist, and I wondered if a service dog could help me. After all, over half a million Americans are currently being helped by service dogs! Unfortunately, fully trained service dogs can cost over $20,000 and the waiting lists are over a year. So we were blessed to learn about Tails of Hope, a service dog non-profit based in Peachtree City. When we met with them, they thought a service dog would be great for me and after hearing how they do things, we knew they would be great partners for us.

Tails of Hope does things a bit differently, helping those in need of service dogs in three great ways. First, they work with animal rescue organizations to identify dogs needing homes that would make good service animals. Second, instead of training the dog for you, they train YOU to train your own service dog. That means trainers can work with dozens of owners instead of just a few dogs, so the timeframe to get a fully trained and certified service dog is a lot quicker. And last, since the dogs are usually rescues and you are doing the training, the cost is almost 85% less.

We're ready to get started but I need help! The reason I'm sharing this with you is that I'm raising money to help me get my service dog. We have several costs ahead of us totalling around $3000. This would include fees for pet adoption, needed equipment, and three levels of training: obedience, emotional support, and tasks. 

Would you please consider donating? Any little bit will help. And it won't just help me get a service dog. It will help me every day to overcome anxiety and all sorts of other challenges.

Thanks so much for considering!

Love, Emma

P.S. The name of the dog who is with me in the photo is Ella. I think she might become my service dog! Ella is a one year old Labradoodle. After her first owners saw that she didn't have a curly, soft coat, they didn't want her anymore and she ended up as a foster with Tails of Hope. The volunteers have worked hard with her to help her get used to people and to get a head start on training. She is such a sweetheart!