Dog to help girl find independence
<p>Tru Zakar, 6. has limitied control over her limb movement. Her service dog, Indy, will help her with her routine actions and mobility.</p>
<p>A fundraiser to help pay for Tru Zakar's service dog is 2 p.m. today at the Boathouse on Hayden Lake Road.</p>
<p>Try Zakar cuddles with Indy, a dog who is being trained to help the girl with basic movements and to detect seizures.</p>
HAYDEN - A little girl named Tru may soon be able to stand with only the help of a dog named Independence.
A fundraiser is being held at 2 p.m. today in Hayden to pay for training for the now 13-week-old dog. With training, the dog will be able to help 6-year-old Tru Zakar, who has been disabled since shortly after her birth, have a more normal life.
"Right now she is completely dependent on those around her," said Tru's mother, Erika Zakar. "She needs help with tasks like turning on lights, opening doors and getting dressed."
Tru was born prematurely at only 28 weeks. The little girl suffered a brain bleed three days after her birth. The bleed resulted in extensive damage to her body, leaving her with spastic quadriplegia and a seizure disorder. Spastic quadriplegia is a subset of spastic cerebral palsy that affects all four limbs. Patients are left with little control of their own movements.
After Tru's bleed, doctors told Zakar she shouldn't expect her child to live past her first year. Zakar was devastated but did not give up hope on her daughter. Zakar said her determination to see her daughter grow up kept her positive. She refused to accept any fate other than life.
"We just wanted her to have the most normal life possible," Zakar said. "She's our princess."
In July, a dog breeder from Kentucky heard about Tru's needs. The breeder contacted the Zakars and offered to donate a puppy for service training. The breeder also shipped the golden retriever puppy to Idaho at no charge.
Zakar said it was love at first sight when Tru and the puppy met. They named him Independence.
"Indy will be trained to detect seizures, too," Zakar said. "Dogs can be trained to detect chemical changes, like low blood sugars. Tru's are usually associated with sugar drop."
With Indy's help, Tru should be able learn to recognize the signs of an oncoming seizure too, Zakar said.
The benefit will take place at 2 p.m. today at the Boathouse, 3799 E. Hayden Lake Road. It will feature live music from The Flying Mammals, a barbecue and a demonstration by trainers from Tao Service Dogs. The money raised will go directly to Indy's trainer.
Training for a service dog is always expensive, Zakar said, but training for Tru's conditions can be even more costly. The fundraising goal is $8,000. Zakar said if they raise more than is needed, excess funds will go toward purchasing a service dog for someone else in need.
"Tru really wants to help others if she can," Zakar said.
For the Hayden mother it's all about her child having a real life full of experiences and happiness. She believes Indy's training will help accomplish that.
"To see her have that independence - it will just mean the world to us," Zakar said.
Donations can also be made for Indy's training by contacting Zakar at (208) 755-4988 or by email at erika.zakar2013@gmail.com.