Sierra Blogging Post Archives

There's no denying the power of a pet to calm and nurture the spirit. Dogs, especially, have been found to provide much-needed emotional support to those in need and even be of comfort to children struggling with life-threatening diseases like cancer.

9-year-old Allison Wynn found companionship with her dog Coco while she went through two grueling years of chemotherapy and treatment for brain cancer. "She made me feel better," Allison said. And now >she's raising money to purchase support dogs for other children in need.

Once she was out of treatment, Allison decided she wanted to raise money to pass that blessing on to others like herself. So, she spent the summer making and selling homemade dog biscuits in a lemonade stand in front of her house and raised $1,000.


She's using that money to feed and train companion dogs through the Colorado Department of Corrections correctional industries program, where shelter dogs are saved and then trained by inmates at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility.

Last week, Allison bought three dogs and gave the first one to a 4-year-old girl from Cheyenne who recently had a brain tumor removed and is now legally blind.

"I just think that is an awesome little girl," her mother said. "It's a very touching story."

Touching indeed... and incredibly selfless for a 9-year-old.