Help Casey pay for a Disability Assistance dog

I am raising funds to pay for a Disability Assistance dog for myself to reduce my anxiety, sensory overload and to become more independent. I can suffer from severe anxiety and last year I was diagnosed with autism. Although I can appear ‘high-functioning’ or fine on the outside, this often takes a toll on my mental health, wellbeing, and can limit where I feel comfortable going by myself.

In New Zealand, Disability Assistance dogs have public access rights and are trained to help and perform tasks for their owners, who may have a range of visible or invisible disabilities. This in turn improves wellbeing, independence, and allows the disabled person to do things they wouldn’t usually be able to or that they struggle with. I believe that having a Disability Assistance dog would improve my well-being, confidence, and overall quality of life.

With the organization I am applying to, it can cost about 5-6,000 to train each Assistance dog, minus the 2,500 joining fee, the cost of a well-bred dog ($2,500-5,000), and the ongoing costs of owning a dog. If you are able to contribute some money to try to lessen this cost it would be much appreciated :).