Hi everyone,

My name is Ziva, and I am getting a service dog to assist me with symptoms related to autism, fibromyalgia, and PTSD.  As I have become progressively more independent, the challenges I have experienced as a result of autism, fibromyalgia, and PTSD have only increased and intensified.  As a result of my symptoms and the fact that I cannot predict my energy level or symptom severity at any given time, my ability to engage in common life activities is severely limited and often nonexistent. 

I started looking into service dogs as a resource to help me manage my symptoms because I love animals and am deeply familiar with the benefits a close relationship with an animal can provide.  I grew up with our family pets and the animals on my grandparents’ farm.  I was also always fascinated by and curious about wildlife – everything from insects, spiders, and other bugs to larger (and generally better-liked) animals such as squirrels, waterfowl, and deer.  I enjoyed finding and raising caterpillars (I even had a guidebook to help me identify them), and I never let anyone kill a bug that had found its way into the house.  I would always capture it and release it outside.  I had a lot of good relationships with animals, but I was closest with my first pet, Spot. 

My family adopted Spot when I was five years old.  He wasn’t supposed to be my cat, but after we brought him home, he attached himself to me, and we became inseparable.  He would follow me everywhere and sleep with me at night.  I took him on walks outside on a leash – he loved eating plants and rolling in the dirt (he was a mostly-white cat…but I just cleaned him up when we returned inside).  He was my best friend and closest confidant.  He helped me get through a number of rough times and was always there for me.  Spot died a few days before I graduated from high school, and I still miss him dearly.  He may not be physically present anymore, but the impact of our relationship remains with me.  It is particularly because of Spot that I know how important and helpful a close relationship with an animal can be.

This brings me to why I am getting a service dog.  At the most basic level, a service dog will provide me with much-needed companionship and a close relationship like the ones I had with my cat, Spot, and other animal family members.  Furthermore, my service dog will be highly trained and able to provide me with medical alerts, deep pressure therapy, and non-protective boundary control.  These services will help me take care of myself and manage my symptoms more effectively, which will ultimately enable me to engage more fully and consistently in the routines of daily life.  This includes doing the activities I enjoy, such as: running, biking, and yoga; singing and playing my guitar; studying subjects that interest me, like Hebrew and Judaic studies; crocheting and quilting; and cooking and baking.  Additionally, my service dog will be able to act as a social bridge so I can better engage with the world around me.  My isolation will decrease as I am better able to take advantage of opportunities to socialize and participate in my synagogue, rock climbing group, and other communities.

I need the support of my broader community to make this happen.  I hope that you can contribute to the mission of Little Angels Service Dogs so I (and others like me) can realize the hopes I have for my life with a service dog at my side. 

As a future recipient of a Little Angels service dog, I am raising money for Little Angels Service Dogs.  Little Angels Service Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization accredited by Assistance Dogs International (A.D.I.) that trains and places fully-trained service dogs with disabled recipients.  As a nonprofit organization, Little Angels never requires recipients to pay for a dog.  Instead, recipients are encouraged to get involved with fundraising.  Training these highly-skilled dogs is very expensive.  It costs Little Angels an average of $38,000 to raise, care for, train, and place one service dog.  I am raising money for Little Angels to help support them in continuing their important work while I am waiting to receive my own service dog – my own life-changing partner and friend.

Thank you in advance for helping me, and others like me, by supporting Little Angels Service Dogs.  To donate, please click the blue Give Now button on this page. 

If you would prefer to write a check or donate through the Little Angels website (https://littleangelsservicedogs.org/donate/recipient-fund/), please make sure to use my solicitation code: AP-LA-ZI.

Checks should be mailed to: 

Little Angels Service Dogs

1088 U.S. Route 302

Bartlett, NH 03812

As a reminder, all donations to Little Angels Service Dogs are tax deductible!