About the Campaign

Jasper is a service dog for

Tauna, who is handicapped.

Tauna is deaf, and autistic. Jasper was donated to her from a service dog breeder, though she trained Jasper herself. He is her ears, and also helps her in social situations where she can often find herself shutting down or not doing well. The are both very bonded, and a team. She takes Jasper with her everywhere, and he is literally her ears as well as her comfort.

As you can see in this video, Jasper loves to run and play with toys!

The video is from before his injury. It is not clear how Jasper injured his knee, but he has a torn ACL. In early summer he seemed to have back pain, but after a visit to the vet he was limping and got diagnosed with the torn ACL. This condition in dogs will not heal on its own. At first Jasper seemed to have a mild condition, but it has gotten worse recently, to where he is putting no weight on the leg:

The doctor has now given strict rules to Jasper and Tauna. He has to rest and can no longer run and play. Jasper was a very active dog before, and he is only 2 years-old, so this is making him depressed. Also, he cannot go as many places with Tauna, and this is impacting her.

Tauna really loves her dog, and she has done all she can for him. When he was a puppy he ate an orchid that they didn’t know was in the house, and he got very sick. It led to a gland infection and Jasper had to have surgery to remove the glands, which cost almost $2000. And though she was just able to get that done at the time, Tauna doesn’t have money.

Jasper as a puppy:

And now:

Her disabilities keep her from working, and she gets by on less than $1000 a month in disability payments from the government. After rent and basic expenses she might be able to save $50 or so a month, which means she will never be able to save up for the cost of the surgery Jasper needs.

All donations are only for Jasper, and are paid directly to the vet when surgery is performed. This procedure will make a huge difference in both Jasper’s life, but also Tauna’s. He is such a young dog, it really is a shame to see him in this condition. Please consider a donation to Jasper knowing that your donation will directly go to pay for his surgery! Thank you.

Vet estimate (click to enlarge):