California Firestorms: Rebuilding Together

As many of you know we’re located in Concord (Northern), California and have many client/dog teams, volunteers, supporters, and friends who are impacted by the horrific firestorms. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Know you can lean on your Dogs4Diabetics family for anything you might need during this time, just ask. We’re stronger together!

We can and will rebuild, we’re stronger together!

D4D Client/Dog Team, Brittany and Izumi, were personally effected by these heartbreaking fires…

“We live in Santa Rosa and were evacuated at 2:30am on October 9th because of the Tubbs Fire. When our apartment complex manager told us that the fire was a mile and a half from our home, we knew we needed to move quickly to get out safely. We had ten minutes to gather the most important items we could and even that was about five minutes too long; by the time I opened the front door to dash down the stairs to my car, the fire was on our property and the smoke was so intense I couldn’t see anything. We could feel the heat from the flames and were caught in 80 mph winds that were swirling embers the size of barbeque briquettes over our heads. I froze – I had no idea how I was going to get down the stairs and to the car with Izumi without getting burned.

She jumped into action, channeled all of her training from when she was a Guide Dog pup, and guided me down the stairs and straight to my car through smoke, hurricane force gusts of wind, and falling embers. She was completely unfaltering, rock solid, and exactly what I needed in those precious minutes.

Through the next week and a half of our evacuation, she didn’t miss a single alert despite the intense smoke exposure and lack of sleep. On a normal day Izumi amazes me with the ways she keeps me safe and in this extreme circumstance she surpassed any expectations I had.

She even brought comfort to the firefighters that were housed at our evacuation site; a few of them told me that it was because of her unconditional love and fluffiness that they felt able to return to battle the flames day after day. Anyone who knows Izumi knows that she is truly one of a kind, and it’s no surprise she brought safety and hope during this time of uncertainty and tragedy. I can’t express how grateful I am to have her – she truly is a hero and deserves all of the Zuke treats and medals in the world”. – D4D Client, Brittany (and Super Hero Izumi)

 

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