Sandy-Lynn Eldridge’s hero has four legs, a wet nose and wagging tail. Izzy, a former shelter dog who has become Lynn’s mobility, stability and sight helper, enables the Titusville resident to surmount the many disabilities that beset her.
“Since Izzy has come into my life, he has become my legs and my eyes,” said Eldridge.
Unfortunately, Eldridge may have to part with Izzy because she can’t afford to keep him.
For years, Elridge volunteered at Harmony Farms, which helps individuals with disabilities.
“Due to finances, she and her husband gave up their car, so the trips to Harmony Farms stopped,” Harmony Farms executive director Pam Rogan said.
Eldridge still wanted to make a difference, so in the golf cart that was now their only transportation, the couple would go to Swan Lake Stables to care for the goats there, despite Eldridge’s declining health.
“Sandy-Lynn’s eyesight is getting worse and she is having a harder time getting around due to her polio and muscle degeneration, and her husband is not well, either,” Rogan added.
Because of long waiting lists, Eldridge could not get a service dog through normal channels, but Laura Soto of Pawsitive Training Academy in Cocoa found six-year-old Izzy — on the kill list at a West Coast shelter — and trained him to help Eldridge.
“Izzy has been a godsend to Sandy-Lynn,” Rogan said.
The bad news is that Izzy suffers from allergies and persistent ear problems that require medication and prescription dog food for the rest of his life at a cost of more than $400 per month.
“Sandy-Lynn and her husband are on a low fixed income and the cost of the continued medication, vet visits, and prescription dog food may prevent her from being able to keep Izzy as her service dog,” Rogan said.
Eldridge is seriously struggling to keep Izzy, yet without him, she would be lost.
“He has become my legs and my eyes,” Eldridge said.
With Izzy, Eldridge has a friend she literally can lean on, a buddy that guides her every hour of the day.
“Izzy is my hero,” Eldridge said.
Izzy now needs some heroes, too.
Rogan hopes Brevard’s kindhearted community will step up to help keep Eldridge and Izzy together.
Donations can be made in person or by mail to a special Izzy Fund created at Launch Credit Union, 90 S. Singleton Ave. in Titusville 32796.
For more information, call the credit union at 321-455-9400. SL
