Special Needs Dobermans (Goldenrod, Florida 32733) is an organization of people with a common goal of helping senior and special needs Dobermans.
That need may be financial or it may be only information and/or moral support for the owner of a Doberman with a serious illness or injury. Special Needs Dobermans will also aid in rehoming and fostering senior Dobermans. These Dobermans may be shelter rescues or they may already be much loved companions with a special need. Financial aid may be through donations or through avenues such as online auctions. Every precaution will be taken to assure that the need is real.
Special Needs Dobermans grew out of an effort by Grace Joffe to respond to the needs of a very special (aren’t they all!) Dobie in California. Grace and her husband, Jeff, had devoted a big part of their lives breeding and showing the champion line of Liquorish Dobermans. Although now retired and living in Florida, in July 2001, Grace became interested in a Doberman-in-need case in California. Dutchess, a beautiful 7-year -old rescue Dobe that had been adopted by a loving family, developed type one diabetes. The family could not afford the necessary expensive treatments. Grace, working with Candy Sangster (a Dobie lover in California), did some in-depth checking with the family and located a vet willing to treat Dutchess. Grace made a commitment to cover the vet bills with her own credit card until she could raise the necessary contributions. From this successful campaign to support a Doberman with special needs, it became clear to Grace and her friends that there existed an ongoing need to provide financial assistance to such Dobermans. Linda Tuttle established the Yahoo list to facilitate communications, and SND was off and running. SND had the beginnings of an organization with a focus on fundraising and providing financial assistance on a national basis.
SND is able to assist these Dobes thanks to the tireless efforts and donations of members and other concerned individuals. One of the most important services SND offers is to assist people with raising money for their Dobes. While it will help people directly, SND hopes that they also use its resources to help themselves as well.
SND fills a unique position in the Doberman assistance community. It is not a rescue group in the broadest definition of the term. Many of its members belong to rescue organizations and devote time, energy, and money to that end. SND has and will continue to support rescue organizations with their special needs cases. SND hopse that these organizations will be able to support SND as well when they have available resources. These mutually helpful relationships benefit both groups. Most importantly, they save Dobes’ lives.
