A new class of dogs in training is always an exciting time for Stiggy’s.  New smells, new tails, new wonders all greet us and new challenges meet us.  One of those challenges is sustaining the funding necessary to train a Stiggy’s Dog.  Remember, Stiggy’s Dogs is committed to providing psychiatric service dogs free of charge to veterans.  That means 100% of the cost needs to be funded elsewhere.  And, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like any of the dogs in Stiggy’s Class of Fall 2011 came with pockets full of money.

People often ask how much it costs to train a Stiggy’s Dog.  There’s no one simple answer because each dog and each veteran has different needs.  However, on average, a Stiggy’s Dog costs at least $6,500 to train and deploy.  Stiggy’s saves money by employing a trainer in house, rather than paying for individual training for each dog.  If we didn’t, costs would skyrocket to at least $11,000 per dog.

What costs so much?  Well, here is a modified breakdown that explains, on average, how much certain things cost:

Adoption and Veterinary Care:  $800

Equipment (dishes, beds, vests, leashes, collars): $200

Training costs: $3000

Costs for Veteran Food and Lodging During Training: $2500

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TOTAL: $6,500

Each dog is unique and each veteran has specific needs.  For example, in this class, two of the dogs (Zoltan and Doc) will require special harnesses to help their veterans better utilize them due to certain physical conditions.  The harnesses are expensive and cost $300.00 each.  That is above and beyond the typical costs.

Asking for money is never easy.  But this fall we decided to do something a bit different to make everyone feel involved in the progress of each dog in the Class of 2011.  For this session, we are raising money for each dog by letting them tell you their stories.  Each Stiggy’s Dog in training has an individual Chip In page created just for them.  Right now, you can click on their page and help contribute to their individual needs as they arise or on a one time basis.  As the training continues, we’ll help the dogs post pictures and stories (they lack the opposable thumbs to do this themselves) about their journeys.  You will be able to check up on your dog or dogs as they post updates.  Best of all, you’ll be able to see your investment at work.

Here’s how to help:

For the Class of Fall 2011, we’re starting their initial fundraising drive.  Donations of any size, both big and small, are accepted at anytime for any dog.  In order to give you an idea of how your donation is used, we have set up the following donation amounts to demonstrate what each Stiggy’s Dog in training needs to get going.

For example…

$5.00 buys a toy for a Stiggy’s Dog in training

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$10.00 feeds a Stiggy’s Dog in training for a week

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$20.00 provides heartworm preventative for a month for a Stiggy’s Dog in training

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$50.00 pays for a day of lodging for a veteran during training

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$100.00 feeds a veteran for a week during training

Click the boxes below to contribute to the individual dogs in the Fall 2011 class.

The link will take you to the individual dog’s Chip In page.  Chip In is a secure site that uses Pay Pal to raise money for causes.  Each dog’s site will be updated weekly with information about their progress and how they’ve used the money YOU have donated.  You’ll be able to see your work in action!  In addition, you’ll learn what each dog needs specifically along the way to be the best Stiggy’s Dog he or she can be.  And remember, every donation to Stiggy’s is tax deductible as Stiggy’s is a 501(c)(3) organization!

If you are interested in learning about how you or your organization can make a bigger contribution, full and partial dog sponsorship levels are available and start at $200.00.  Additional benefits are available to full and partial sponsors.  For more information, e-mail our Development Coordinator, Kim Saks at kim@stiggysdogs.org.

Welcome to the Class of Fall 2011!