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Dear Friend,,

Right now, within our program, a brave puppy is taking their first steps—exploring their surroundings, listening to unfamiliar sounds, and meeting new friends. 

Each step is a character-building experience on an extraordinary journey to one day become the steady partner, the 24/7 alert system that hears what their person cannot, and the difference between uncertainty and independence for someone who is d/Deaf.

Will you make a gift today to help a puppy on their journey to become a life-changing partner? With a $25,000 matching challenge, your compassion goes twice as far. Plus, you’ll earn a chance to help name a puppy!

The Journey to a Life-Changing Partnership

Puppyhood: Laying the Foundation

Before a dog can alert to a smoke alarm at 2 a.m...before they can wake their partner when a baby cries...before they can provide confidence in a crowded airport or a quiet home…They must first learn how to be brave.

Each puppy is carefully selected for the qualities needed for this work—courage, curiosity, resilience, and ability. From the start, they are guided through experiences designed to grow their potential.

Over the months (12+), each puppy is:

• Introduced to new environments

• Exposed to hundreds of everyday sounds

• Taught foundational obedience skills

• Guided through problem-solving challenges

• Encouraged to explore independently

• Rewarded for initiative and curiosity

What we are building in puppyhood isn’t something you can see in a photograph—it’s the quiet confidence and assured independence that will one day allow a dog to change someone’s life as a service dog partner.

A hearing service dog must be self-motivated. They must notice sounds without being prompted. They must decide, on their own, to alert. They must be reliable not just in training sessions, but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As such, raising and training for this work requires a very, very special dog. A dog who is confident, resilient, independent, and wants to work.

And developing that kind of dog does not happen by accident. It happens because someone like you believes in the journey.

You can be part of the incredible journey that turns a puppy into a life-changing partner for someone who is d/Deaf.

A $25,000 Match. 

A $50,000 Impact.

Every gift is matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000.

$30 becomes $60 

Aids in the thoughtful evaluation & selection of puppies.

$100 becomes $200 

Provides essential wellness care for growing puppies.

$250 becomes $500

Supplies a puppy raiser starter kit (bed, kennel, toys, treats...).

$500 becomes $1,000

Funds foundational training & experiences in puppyhood. 

$1,000 becomes $2,000

Delivers advanced sound alert skills development.   

$2,500 becomes $5,000

Enables team training of a hearing service dog and their partner.

Together, let’s unlock $50,000!

Advanced Training: Shaping the Skills to Serve

As puppies grow into dogs, their training becomes more specialized. Alerts are shaped and strengthened. Distractions increase. Expectations rise.

Over the following months (6 to 9), the dogs learn to:

• Alert to doorbells, alarms, timers, and name calls

• Wake their partner from sleep

• Work calmly in public spaces

• Stay focused amid everyday distractions

• Provide reassurance through a steady presence

Next comes team training. The moment when everything shifts. This is where a carefully raised, thoughtfully trained dog meets the person whose life will change forever.

Partnership: When Training Becomes Independence

For Tia, that moment came when she met her hearing service dog, Dancer. Before Dancer, due to Tia’s hearing loss, everyday sounds often meant uncertainty—missing a knock at the door, not alerted to an alarm, unaware of her daughter calling for her, or worrying about what may happen around her. 

With Dancer at her side, that uncertainty changed. Dancer reliably alerts Tia to important sounds that may otherwise go unnoticed, giving her greater safety and independence. But the impact goes far beyond sound alerts. As Tia shared, being partnered with Dancer has brought confidence, reassurance, and freedom in daily life.

Every partnership begins the same way—with a motivated and adaptable puppy and a community that believes in the journey.



How to Give*:

• Donate securely online. Visit paragonservicedogs.org and click on the DONATE button or use the QR code above.

• Mail in your gift. Complete the enclosed response card and mail the card (with check or credit card info) using the provided return envelope.

*Every gift directly supports Paragon Service Dogs (EIN: 84-0779444) and is 100% tax deductible.

Giving Bonus: A Chance to Help Name a Puppy

Every donor whose gift to this campaign is received by July 15, 2026, will be entered into a drawing for the chance to help name one of the puppies supported through this appeal—a meaningful way to celebrate the very real life-changing impact your gift will have.

Imagine telling your friends and family: “I helped raise that dog.” “I helped change that life.” Because you did.

A brave puppy is beginning their journey. A future partner is anxiously awaiting a hearing service dog. Won’t you give a gift that helps bring this life-changing partnership together?

With gratitude and hope,

Carol Heiden, M.Ed., LPCC

CEO

Paragon Service Dogs

P.S. Help Us Unlock the $25,000 Match. When you give, it’s like giving twice. Every gift made will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000, turning $25,000 into $50,000. Please give today to help raise and train two future hearing service dogs while every gift is doubled. 

Plus, every donor whose gift to this appeal is received by July 15, 2026, earns a chance to help name one of the puppies.

14737 County Road 3 Longmont, CO 80504

(303) 287-3277

Paragonservicedogs.org