A girl’s best friend

WASILLA — With overwhelming support from the Valley, Caitlin Racenet will get the assistance dog she desperately needs.

Diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, the 3-year-old experiences seizures daily. The simplest situations can cause her to have a sensory overload, and she requires constant monitoring. There is no cure for the disease.

4 Paws for Ability, a non-profit group in Ohio, trains dogs to distract children from sensory overload and calm them after seizures. Some dogs even detect chemical changes that occur before an event, warning the children to get in a safe location.

A fundraiser on Saturday night capped efforts to raise the $11,000 Caitlin’s family needed to contribute for the dog’s training. The silent auction and taco dinner at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church raised at least $3,500 from 200 guests, underscoring the community’s involvement, said Rebecca Racenet, Caitlin’s mother.

“When I was putting together the items for the silent auction on Wednesday, I had 31 donations from local businesses,” Rebecca said. “By Saturday, we had over 150 items in the auction. That just goes to show you the support we’ve received.”

Saturday was just the latest effort by the community to raise money for the Racenets. Previous fundraisers included profit-sharing nights at the Wasilla and Palmer Dairy Queens, a donation board at the Wasilla Curves and many private efforts. An employee at 4 Paws for Ability told the Racenets this was the fastest he’s ever seen a family raise that much money.

In fact, the fundraisers were so successful, the Racenets overshot their $11,000 contribution by at least $2,000, Rebecca said. The additional proceeds will go toward another child who is having more difficulty raising the money for an assistance dog.

With the fundraising efforts complete, the nine-month training will begin. Three months in, the Racenets will start sending items that smell like Caitlin and clothing she was wearing during times of intense seizures. From this, the hope is the dog will detect the chemical changes that happen during a seizure.

In January, the entire Racenet family heads to Ohio for two weeks of intense training with the dog. At the end of the two weeks, Caitlin will finally have her companion.

When asked who she would like to thank, Rebecca is overwhelmed. She starts with Curves, R and R Productions, Taco Loco and Just Imagine Toys. Individuals include Brandy Fishback, Gillian Wright, Kimberly Steele, Tiffany Erickson, Cari Lester and Danielle Price.

“I’m going to try to go through and name them one by one on the blog,” she said. “Even though the fundraising is over, I’m dedicated to keeping the blog up-to-date with reports of the training and pictures of the dog.”

There is a link to Racenet’s blog on the Frontiersman’s website.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or (907) 352-2252.