JUDA — Bonnie Dittmer was grief-stricken after she lost her 11-year-old corgi Vegas suddenly to pancreatic cancer in November, but she knew Vegas wouldn’t want her to be sad, so she decided to turn her grief into a positive mission to help others.  

Dittmer created The Vegas Project. The aim of the project is to raise money for patients of the Brodhead Veterinary Medical Center. The funds help people who are unable to afford the high expense of unexpected medical bills for their pet.

“I just needed to make sure I did something good for her in her memory,” Dittmer said.

About seven years ago, Dittmer began making calming canine bandanas. The item had a calming effect on Vegas, which helped her cope with anxiety during storms. Dittmer had tried to simply purchase products, testing out a few, but online research led her lavender essential oil. She read it had a calming effect on dogs. 

She sat down and sewed a bandana for her corgi, filling it with flax seed and scenting it with lavender oil. Dittmer said the bandana was a success. Vegas quickly figured out where her bandana would hang on the back porch and would sometimes bark until someone put it on her. The bandanas can be used to help calm dogs during stressful situations like car rides, fireworks or trips to the vet. 

Vegas went through several bandanas. The one she wore before she died is tied around her urn. 

The soothing kerchiefs were something Dittmer would sell on occasion to people she knew or their friends, but had never promoted them. After losing Vegas, she decided to sell the bandanas to raise money for The Vegas Project. 

Though she didn’t put Vegas through chemotherapy, the costs of the drugs to keep her comfortable were high. Dittmer said she was fortunate to be able to cover the expenses, but knows that for some it could be straining. 

Dittmer set a goal for herself to raise $1,000 by the end of February. After sales through Facebook, client revenue from her business PHD Massage LLC of Juda and attending several craft shows, she met her goal Dec. 21. 

“Everybody just embraced it,” Dittmer said. “They saw a need for it too.”

So far, Dittmer has made and sold over 100 bandanas and plans to make another 150 bandanas in the next few weeks. She said she isn’t much of a sewer, but has several friends who volunteer to help. 

Wendy Pinnow Heise, a veterinarian at Brodhead Veterinary Medical Center, said she was surprised how quickly Dittmer was able to raise the money and feels The Vegas Project is a positive program for pet owners. 

“Everywhere people have financial constraints that can hold them back and this money will enable them to do as much as they can for their pets,” Heise said. 

The bandanas come in four sizes, extra small (Chihuahua), small (beagles/corgis), medium (labs and retrievers) and large (St. Bernards/Great Danes). The bandanas can be purchased at Let the Fur Fly in Monroe and through the Facebook page The Vegas Project.

“Vegas just continues to live on through this project,” Dittmer said.

Although Dittmer still has Elsey, a 10-year-old terrier, she missed having a corgi. So, she brought home Tahoe, a corgi puppy she got from a breeder in Platteville.

“They’re like potato chips,” Dittmer said. “You can’t stop with just one.”