12/02/2025
Main Line Deputy Dog (MLDD) brings life-changing
help to local people with mobility or psychiatric
challenges. With our guidance they train their own
service dogs. Human and canine work together to
learn skills that provide greater independence. Our
program is an alternative for people who are unable
to afford (thousands of dollars) or can’t wait (often five
years) to obtain a traditionally trained assistance dog. Here's one client's story:
My name is Emily, and my life changed forever in a single moment.
Colin, my boyfriend, and I were volunteer firefighters in Exton. Serving
our community was something we loved and felt called to do. One night,
as we rushed to a fire call, our lives took a devastating turn. We were in a
terrible car accident. Colin was killed instantly. I woke up in the hospital
with a broken skull, fractured spine, multiple broken ribs, removed spleen,
and suffered a stroke.
In the weeks that followed, I had to relearn how to walk, how to talk, even
how to think. Every step of recovery was excruciating, and all of it was
while I was grieving the person I loved most.
Through all of this, one piece of Colin’s life remained with me: our dog
Chandler. He was Colin’s best friend, and now he is my strength. With the
help of Deputy Dog, Chandler is being trained as my service dog. He
steadies me when I am dizzy, helps me when the pain is overwhelming, and
comforts me through the darkest moments of grief and trauma.
Chandler is more than a dog. He is a piece of Colin that I get to keep, and a
symbol of hope that I never thought I would find again. Deputy Dog has not
just given me training, they have given me the chance to heal and a future I
was not sure I would ever have again.
Your generosity makes stories like mine possible. Without Deputy Dog, the
days ahead would be much harder to manage. Because of this program, I
have a partner who helps me through both the physical and emotional scars
that remain. Chandler has become such an important part of my life that
now I sign all my letters “Emily and Chandler.” He’s not just my service
dog, he is a part of me.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
With gratitude,
Emily & Chandler
Visit MLDD.ORG MLDD IS A 501c3 PA Non-Profit Corp.
