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Giving Amelia her world back with Sammy the Service Dog

  • A message from Amelia

      8 January 2026

    Thank you so much for all the donations! I am beyond grateful and in disbelief, every single one is one step closer to Sammy coming home. We’ve made some posters which we’re putting up around different businesses and it’s meant so much to see how many people want to support by spreading the word. Sammy will be coming down to continue intensive training with me for the first time in early February, which is really exciting. We've been experimenting with different buttons that he can use to let people know if I need help at home or school, so it’s starting to feel really real. Again thank you so much for all the support.

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  • Amelia and Sammy

      31 December 2025

    In March 2025, Amelia first met Sammy at a home assessment as part of her application for a service dog.

    As Sammy grew, he started to show all of the qualities that Amelia needed from her service dog.

    To be matched with a dog, the dog needs to go through temperament and medical checks, have the right qualities for their handlers needs, and to have a bond with their prospective handler. Sammy was officially matched with Amelia just before Christmas, and is now entering advanced training. Each service dog costs over $25,000 to train and place with a handler. This includes purchasing the dog, vet care, and advanced canine training.

    As a charitable trust, Pawsible Service Dogs has raised $12,500 towards Sammy's placement with Amelia thanks to the generous support of their funders and donors. We are aiming to fundraise $17,000 to cover the remaining $12,500, alongside his first year of assessments, and his longer-term care costs.

    There is no government funding for service dogs in New Zealand, so we will be fundraising through our community and applying for grants.

    More information about Disability Assist dogs in NZ can be found here: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Dog-Control-Disability-Assists-Dogs

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