Too Soon and Exactly on Time
Sitting on my floor late on a Sunday evening, I received THE email. The email that would start it all! I knew it would come eventually, but was not prepared for it to come before we had even asked for it.
Let’s back up. The Unleashed Impact team waited on our IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit decision letter for what seemed like forever! We finally received it almost eight weeks after we had initially expected it. Because of this delay, we pushed back everything. But Friday night laying in bed scrolling through email I noticed a message from our mail service. There was a letter from the IRS! This alone was reason enough to be excited. We could finally start making some progress. We could start collecting contributions to pay for the monthly bills, then anything over that, which honestly, really isn’t much, could start actually funding the mission! The mission to reduce the number of dogs entering shelters and rescues by increasing access to humane resources to address the reasons dogs end up there in the first place. This was a key step in being able to take on our first case. We still had a ways to go before we could really start executing….or so we thought. That Sunday night email offered a different path.
That Sunday evening, around 9:00, I got an email alert. It was a notification through our website. I assumed it was another subscription to our email list. This was exciting because it was the primary focus we had at the time of waiting on our decision letter. We wanted to build our audience so when everything launched, we had someone to launch it to. I got excited as I opened the email, assuming it was another close friend or family member of mine who was really only subscribing to support me (hey, I’ll take it). Instead I was shocked to find it was a contact inquiry that read:
Hello. I have a 11 month old mini dachshund. I am a college student that decided to get a dog while I was living in an apartment. Due to transferring schools I moved back home with my mom. My dog Apollo has recently started showing severe resource guarding and biting once picked up. He has bit multiple family members including myself and has even drawn blood. I cannot afford many trainers in this area. After researching, chat gpt told me about this website and organization and said they may have resources to help. Many want me to give him away but I just have hope I can get him help. Thank you.
Apollo
I was stunned. Just days before I began questioning myself. Did I really know and understand the problem? Is this really a need? And then, in my inbox, was the plea for help that we were specifically designed to answer! I couldn’t figure out what amazed me more, the fact that this young woman was being such a great advocate for her dog, or the fact that she found us via ChatGPT. What??? This case was ideal as well. Someone who was dedicated to their dog with a potentially very manageable need. Aggression and reactivity cases can be very overwhelming for the dog guardian. They are constantly trying to keep their dog and everyone around them safe while navigating what can be a tricky situation. And if they can’t resolve the issues, she will be forced to rehome him or surrender him to a shelter. Unfortunately right now in certain areas, shelter intake is not far from a death sentence, especially for dogs that cannot be easily placed due to behavioral or medical reasons.
Aggression and resource guarding can have many causes and take some time to identify the best path forward. That is why it is so important to seek help from a trained professional. Additionally, many people don’t realize positive reinforcement techniques can be used to work with aggression and reactivity cases. I was very hopeful we could find a humane trainer or behaviorist who could help Apollo and his guardian thrive in their new environment.
At this point, however, I was unsure if we would be able to help her directly. We didn’t have anything in place yet! No funds, no application or approval process, no established connection with an approved practitioner. But I was determined, if we couldn’t help her, I was certainly going to do what I could to get her help from somewhere.
The team got to work, we started reaching out to trainers in our network who we thought might be willing to work with us on a payment plan so we could afford to assist Apollo. A personal friend and colleague of mine, who is a phenomenal dog trainer, was on board! When I reached back out to the applicant, she said she had found a place locally that she wanted to work with. She seemed like she had done the research on it we were more than willing to work with any trainer that she was comfortable with and who was aligned with our values as an organization. However, I did have to tell her, if I can’t work out a payment situation with them, we would not be able to work with that specific trainer. But hey, you never know if you don’t ask.
Enter Arfordable Dog Training in Converse, Texas. I really thought I had seen ALL of the punny names for a dog business, but this one got me! I started digging into their website and was thrilled by what I found. They use positive reinforcement techniques, they have Fear Free certified handlers, they are incredibly pro-rescue and they were local and the first choice of our applicant! I could not have asked for a better practitioner. Now, the moment of truth. I had a good feeling because we were so value-aligned, that they would be willing to work with us. When I called and introduced myself and spoke with them about payment, the name really says it all. They really do believe in “arfor dable” care! The price and payment schedule were so reasonable I did not even have to work anything special out with them. I just told them that we would love to cover a portion of Apollo’s treatment in hopes that he gets to stay in his home where is so well loved.
This expedited situation gave me a great kick in the butt to put an application, approval, and logistics process in place. The team decided on a number we felt comfortable committing to (aka a number I think I could raise if I did some extra Uber deliveries this month), and off we go. Apollo will be starting his behavioral plan very soon and we can’t wait to hear the update!
One thing we do want to note here, however. With dogs, there is no guarantee. If any dog trainer ever guarantees a specific outcome, RUN! There are so many factors that play into behavioral cases and while we hope for the best, even the best dog behaviorist in the world can’t overcome genetics or certain neurological or psychological issues. We don’t know how this will all turn out for Apollo. But because of your support, he has fighting chance!
That Sunday night email showed up before we had a process, a budget, or even a plan. But it had a name - Apollo - and a guardian who wasn’t giving up. And that’s all we need to make an impact.
