When you ask Samantha Short what she’s most excited about right now – her answer is becoming a “dog mom” this upcoming May. The Miniature Goldendoodle will be trained as a service dog to help detect seizures due to her epilepsy diagnosis.
“Sam has been able to live independently over the past year and a half thanks to ABLE United,” said her mother, Tracey. “We’ve been saving since the day we opened her account for her first house – one with a big yard so her service dog has plenty of room to run and play.”
In 2018, Samantha passed the Florida childcare training requirements in order to receive her Child Development Associate credential and obtain a job with a childcare facility in her hometown of Clearwater.
“My biggest wish for her is that she will have the opportunity to obtain all of the life skills she needs for independence,” said Tracey. “But most of all, happiness.”
Most recently, she is training to be a certified dog walker at the Humane Society and also works at their Holiday Kid’s Camps where she educates children on proper animal care and handling – all of which provide a paycheck that gets deposited into her ABLE account.
“Each penny saved is a penny earned,” Tracey explained.
Due to Samantha’s seizures, she’s unable to drive a car, so the Short family is also putting money away to buy a golf cart.
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