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"My very first service dog, LEVI, taught me "how to hear". He was a Certified Hearing Dog for the deaf.  Levi gave me the freedom of living independently and gave back the confidence that deafness stole from me. It is in his memory that I began The Levi Foundation."  Sue Thomas

     THE LEVI FOUNDATION has a special purpose, that of training dogs for people with multiple disabilities.  As my second hearing dog, Gracie was reaching the end of her hearing career, I was just beginning another leg in my own journey. I had been newly diagnosed with the life-changing disease of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and I knew my next dog would need to be both my ears and be able to help me with various activities of daily life. 
     Although there are many organizations that will train dogs to meet one specific need, I had a difficult time finding a certified program that would train a dog to meet both my challenge of deafness and my needs with Multiple Sclerosis. My searching took me north of the border to DogGuides of Canada.
     Katie, my current dog, has been trained as a special dual-service dog meeting both the challenges of Certified Hearing Dog and Special Skills Dog for my MS. 
 
 
    
 
 Katie's
       Korner
 
  (more to come...)
 
 

     Certified Hearing Dogs for the deaf, Guide Dogs for the blind and Special Skills Dogs for the physically disabled all dedicate their lives to helping meet people's needs.  Only the best of the best that have spent months in training can be paired with a person in need. The training is intense and costly; it requires approximately $6,000-10,000 to prepare a dog to do this job. Once they are paired with their owner, together they become a team. The dog and owner now break barriers, giving that person a greater amount of independence.

     These dogs were born to help.  And I feel the call to help as well. It is my dream to start a training center for these incredible canines! 

     Knowing how much has been given to me it is my heart's desire to pass the blessing on to others. I'd be thrilled to have you join me!

 

Sue Thomas