Nebraska family working to raise money for son’s service dog

By Maddie Augustine

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    BENNINGTON, Nebraska (KETV) — Doggie Do Good, a service dog provider out of California, said the demand for service dogs is on the rise, even with an average cost between $20-30,000 per dog.

A local family said that the price tag is worth paying, but they need help.

Five-year-old Memphis Keck loves his family, jumping on his trampoline, singing songs, and even posing for pictures. All things his doctors said would likely never happen.

“His doctor, he was like, I cannot believe he’s walking and talking because we were told that, like, not to expect much from him,” said Allyson Keck, Memphis’s mom. “Like he probably won’t walk and talk.”

Memphis’ parents, Allyson and Trek Keck, said doctors told them she was nearly brain-dead when they first adopted him and his older sister. He was only seven months old.

Memphis was born prematurely at only 26 weeks. Shortly after, he suffered a grade four and grade 3 brain bleed. Resulting in him being diagnosed with cerebral palsy, cortical vision impairment, hydrocephalus and absent seizures.

“He basically just spaces out while he’s having the seizure,” Trek said. “So it’s not obvious at all that he’s having a seizure, which is a big concern of ours when he’s away at school, in kindergarten, or even, you know, in the rare chances or cases that he’s being watched by somebody else, like grandma.”

The Keck’s said Memphis’ seizures are becoming more frequent. He’s now having them one to two times a month. He used to have them once or twice a year.

That’s one of the main reasons they’re working to get Memphis a service dog.

“It’s terrifying, you know,” Allyson said. “Not knowing when the seizures are going to happen.”

Memphis has been approved for a service dog through Doggie Does Good — a provider out of California, and an extension of Doggie Do Good — for a cost of $23,000. A cost that insurance does not cover because they categorize it as a luxury.

“If we had a service dog, they’d be able to alert instantly, and we’d be able to take care of that medically, as quickly as possible,” Trek said. “Which in seizures, that’s very important.”

The family says Memphis can’t be matched with a dog until they pay the first $8,000. They said Memphis has already proven he can exceed expectations and brings light into everyone’s life.

“He brings joy to everyone’s life,” Trek said. “I think they would agree that this would be a big, big help and a big, big step in giving him a better life.”

The Kecks said on top of alerting to his seizures, a service dog would also help Memphis gain independence and help his day-to-day mobility — ultimately allowing Memphis to continue to grow and improve.

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