McBride resident launches fundraiser for service dog

By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG

When McBride resident Kelli Lynn Parker leaves her house, she’s wracked with anxiety about having an allergic reaction and facing indifferent, or even aggressive, strangers. When she stays home, her arthritis makes it difficult to type, pick up objects and control her hands, so it’s hard to take care of herself.

The solution to this may come in the form of a diligent, highly-trained worker – that is, a dog from Edmonton-based Aspen Service Dogs. In July, Parker began fundraising to cover the first of three installments the organization requires to adopt one of their dogs. As of writing on August 8th, Parker’s GoFundMe page has about $370, well below her $9,000 goal.

Parker says a service dog would help her live more independently. Her severe allergies make it difficult to go outside – even catching a whiff of someone’s coconut-based shampoo could send her into anaphylaxis – and have given her more anxiety, Parker said.

“I’ve been in places where I’ve gone into anaphylaxis and people assumed I was drunk or high, and so they didn’t help me,” she said. “That caused me to start having panic attacks and extreme anxiety.”

According to Parker, a service dog would be able to smell her allergens a full 20 seconds earlier than a human could – giving the dog plenty of time to alert her and have her move away. Additionally, dogs that are trained to help with PTSD or anxiety could calm her during the onset of a panic attack, she said.

A service dog could help her around the house, too, she added. Parker’s arthritis makes it difficult to grasp objects and causes muscle spasms – she now keeps her cellphone on a wrist strap so she doesn’t involuntarily throw it across the room. A trained service dog could pick up objects and bring them over to her, she said.

Despite the essential service they provide, getting a service dog is a cost-prohibitive process, according to Parker. With specialized training for Parker’s allergies, arthritis and emotional support, the total cost rises to tens of thousands of dollars according to her.

Parker plans on getting a dog through Edmonton-based Aspen Service Dogs, an organization which says it tries to keep costs as low as possible. In an interview with The Goat, CEO of the organization Caelan Snow said the cost for a medical service dog – one trained to detect allergies, for example – would total around $30,000. 

While the organization strives to keep costs low, each dog requires 2,000 hours of training over the course of two years, plus vet costs and food, Snow said.

“We see far more individuals who are in need of service dogs than those who are able to acquire funds for it,” Snow added. “We definitely see community groups, friends [and] family rally around our clients, and it’s always wonderful to see that. The dogs absolutely do change these individuals’ lives … there’s not enough access to funds out there for the individuals who need it.”

While Parker hopes to save enough for the entire cost of training over the next few years, earning the first $7,500 is crucial, she says. That’s the amount needed to claim a puppy, pay for health and wellness checks and begin training the dog.

“I’ve got under $1,000 of that first $7,500 I need,” Parker said. “I’m pushing really hard until the middle of September, because by that time, if I don’t have enough money … I don’t qualify until next year.”

Parker says her need for a service dog is urgent. Her current dog, who is not a service animal but has helped with her anxiety when leaving the house, is 12 years old and may not live much longer, she said. If she can raise the initial $7,500 soon, she hopes to obtain corporate sponsorships, get disability assistance from the provincial government and find other ways to cover the rest of the cost. There are some grants available that she could use, but she has to be approved for disability assistance first, Parker added.

It’s difficult for adults who are not veterans to get funding for a service dog, according to Parker.

“A lot of people will donate for service dogs for children, for diabetes, for allergens, for autism,” she said. “But because I have a specific condition that is not what they consider mainstream, there is no funding available for what I’m doing.”

As she works to raise funds, Parker says she hopes people will approach the topic of disabilities with an open mind. She encourages stopping to ask if people who appear to be in distress are okay, and says you can’t always tell if someone is disabled or facing a health issue at first glance.

“We have an amazing community – I just think that sometimes we need to stop and realize that not all disabilities are visible,” Parker said. “Just because we don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”