Hi, my name is Becca Melkonian and I am a 20-year-old filmmaker, musician, and artist from New York and I have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

My disabilities interfere with my everyday life, causing me to have flashbacks, dissociation with reality, and nightmares. I often experience flashback episodes which manifest in an extremely intense and physical experience putting me out of commission for the rest of the day if not days. I have learned over the years to live with my disability; however, the world isn’t as accessible and conducive to learning how to live with a disability, especially one that is invisible and can sometimes be triggered by anything from loud noises to crowds. Throughout my years of therapy, psychiatry, and other forms of treatment, I have always found comfort in dogs.

I am beyond honored to be given this opportunity to get a chance to change my life with the help of a service dog. Adding a service animal to my treatment will forever change my life, allowing me to have support and a companion to help me through my day-to-day life. A service dog will provide me with not only comfort, but medical alert by interrupting episodes and dissociation, deep pressure therapy, and non-protective boundary control.

For three years, I have researched service dog programs. I finally found Little Angels Service Dogs. Little Angels Service Dogs is an International (ADI) accredited organization and a 501(3)c organization which means they rely 100% on donations, from people like you.

I am an animal lover and there is an ancient Armenian myth about the Aralez (which I also have a tattoo of), a mythological wolf with wings that revives soldiers by licking them. Please help me find my Aralez that will help revive me and allow me to navigate life to the fullest.

The cost of training a service dog is high. Please consider donating to this wonderful organization so that you can help people like me receive a dog that will change my life and others like me who want to live an independent life. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.