My goodness!!! We started fundraising on October 14, 2025, and we met our goal just a month later. Our family is completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support for dear Luca and our family. Luca means bringer of light, and his story does just that––he brings people together. 

Although we met our goal, you can continue donatng and all proceeds will go directly to the cost of raising Luca's dog (total is between $40,000-$60,000) OR you can head to this link https://secure.qgiv.com/event/4pawsforabilityservicedogs/ which will take you to the main fundraising page. Under the "Make A Dream Come True" header text there are icons of all the families that are currently fundraising and you can read through their pages and find one you'd like to support!

Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts!

Luca is a bright, determined 3-year-old who brings joy and laughter everywhere he goes. He was born with Down syndrome and profound deafness. While Luca wears cochlear implants, he has cochlear nerve deficiencies which means his access to sound is limited, and he primarily communicates through sign language, gestures, and his expressive personality.

Every day, Luca works hard at school and in therapy to strengthen his muscles, improve his balance, and build new skills. He approaches each goal with patience and determination — reminding everyone around him that progress comes in small, meaningful steps.

A service dog will help Luca stay safe, confident, and connected as he grows — offering comfort, support, and a constant companion on his journey toward greater independence.

Training a service dog to meet our child’s requirements can be very costly. On average it costs between $40,000-60,000 to raise, train, and place a service dog at 4 Paws for Ability. While 4 Paws for Ability fundraises to help cover a significant portion of this cost, families are tasked with raising $20,000 of that amount or $23,000 if receiving a poodle, doodle or papillon. We hope that we can receive assistance from our beloved family and friends to help make our service dog dream a reality.