Susan’s Therapy Dog

Fund a Therapy Dog to work with Susan

Susan loves to work with and help others. She was a nurse for most of her career, and in later years has trained as a Uniting Church and now Anglican Minister. She also loves animals and would love to bring the warmth of a therapy dog to the work she does with others, and in her own life.

Having sacrificed income for many years to train in Theology and now receiving only a small stipend to cover living expenses, Susan does not have the income to cover the cost of acquiring or training a therapy dog. Sadly, she is also going through a divorce, and living alone – so the company of a dog would be a great companion and comfort to her. With her nursing and ministry training, I am sure Susan’s already exceptional care for others would be enhanced by the presence of a loving dog, trained to assist in providing care and support to others, especially the more vulnerable people she meets with. As noted by Therapy Dogs Australia:

Research has also shown that having animals incorporated within the therapeutic process can assist to reduce anxiety, increase relaxation, increase social interaction, increase communication within sessions, as well as act as an intrinsic motivator to engage with the animal assisted intervention.

As we know, the cost of any dog has increased astronomically, and is out of reach for anyone with a low income. Selecting a puppy or older dog that with a suitable temperament for therapy dog training increases this cost. Therefore, I am putting out this crowdsourcing request, and invite you to support Susan in this quest. Susan is my sister, and she lives alone a long way away from me in a rural/remote country town. While I support her as best I can, I believe a doggy companion in her work and in her home would be a great comfort and assistance to her, and the people she works with - so I feel compelled to put this request out to see if I can help her achieve this goal.

We are anticipating we need $10,000 to purchase a dog or puppy that can be trained as a therapy dog; $2,000 for a therapy training course (https://therapydog.com.au/clinical-courses); and $2,000 for vet and other expenses – a total target of $14,000.