Emily Pyrek – May 28, 2017 (La Crosse Tribune) – Twenty-five inmates sat rapt at the edge of their seats as 10 rambunctious puppies came bounding into the Jackson Correctional Institute visitors room. Faces breaking into grins, the men reached out to greet the plucky pups who would be both their pupils and pals for the next year. The canine/prisoner partnership, a first for the medium-security Jackson Correctional Institute, was arranged through Can Do Canines, a New Hope, Minn., based nonprofit that trains dogs of all breeds and sizes to help people with mobility challenges, hearing loss, diabetes, childhood autism …
Archives for May 2017
Little PCA on Paws
Nicole Hintz and Mobility Assistance Dog Mac Author: Hanna Kantor It is the simplest things in life that we often take the most for granted. Now, when we think of these things it is the love of one’s family, the ability to drive, having a phone. However, the thing taken the most advantage of is the ability to move; the uninhibited use of our arms and legs. These things, that are so easy to overlook, are something many of us could not imagine living without. However, it is a reality in which 27-year-old Nicole Hintz of Marshall, Minn. lives every day. A …
Loyal Leo
Robert Keck and Mobility Assistance Dog Leo Author: Jake Grossman For many of us, taking on a new pursuit might mean starting a hobby, going on a trip, or trying out a different haircut. For Robert, a web designer from Hopkins, Minn., being matched with Mobility Assist Dog Leo began as a fresh opportunity at “a perfect time in life.” This new chapter has blossomed into a beautiful relationship: the two have been a fantastic team ever since Leo’s placement. Leo has boosted Robert’s confidence and given him an “extra hand” with day-to-day tasks. Robert, who was born with cerebral …
Willy the Wonder Dog
Madison Stangl and Diabetes Assistance Dog Willy Author: MarySue Krueger Diabetes Assist Dog Willy never made a peep during the entire time Madison (Maddy) Stangl was in training with him. That changed the night he moved into her apartment. Maddy was instructed by Can Do Canines staff for Willy to sleep in his crate for the first few nights at home until he became accustomed to his new home. Maddy recalls, “I woke up when I heard him crying in his crate. It was the first time I’d ever heard him make a sound.” She decided to check her blood …
Slowly but Shirley
Kimberly Hodges and Mobility Assistance Dog Shirley Author: Susan Byers It’s been nearly 20 years since Kimberly Hodges from Burnsville, Minn. was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). But thanks to her can do attitude – and two Can Do Canines – Kimberly is standing tall, literally and figuratively. “I’m blessed because I’m still vertical,” she explains. “That’s my goal – to keep walking.” Thankfully, the MS progressed slowly for the first ten years. But over time, Kimberly became marginally worse – more wobbly and at greater risk of falling. That’s when a girlfriend suggested a Mobility Assist Dog from Can …
Stillwater Gazette | Sit, Stay, Farewell
Jonathan Young – April 28, 2017 (Stillwater Gazette) – Sit, stay … farewell: After two years, dog nearly ready to be a service animal. Saying goodbye won’t be easy. It won’t be easy, but Bonnie Bakke knew this day would come when she agreed to raise Zoe, a yellow Lab/Golden Retriever cross. That was nearly two years ago. “I got her when she was eight weeks old, and her birthday is the 28th of April,” Bakke said. Zoe was raised to be an assistance dog through Can Do Canines, an organization that trains and provides dogs to people with disabilities. With …
La Crosse Tribune | Assistance Dogs Arrive at Jackson Correctional Institution
Can Do Canines, a non-profit organization that trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities and provides them free of charge to those who need them, started its sixth prison training program at the Jackson Correctional Institution in Black River Falls. Ten puppies from the “P litter”, which means all of their names start with the letter P, arrived to an excited group of staff and inmates ready to meet their canine companions. Warden Lizzie Tegles said the whole institution has been dying of anticipation waiting for the dogs, who are all black Lab and Golden Retriever mixed, to arrive. “This …
News 18 | Can Do Canines Prison Puppy Program Gives Inmates New “Leash” on Life
Jackson Co. (WXOW) — A partnership between nonprofit Can Do Canines and the Jackson County Correctional Institution is giving inmates the opportunity to train service dogs. The partnership is the second Can Do Canines has with a Wisconsin prison. “We’ve been trying to find a canine program for the past two years and for one reason or another it just hasn’t worked out,” Warden Lizzie Tegels said. “We’re so happy to be able to offer this to our inmates now and I think it will give them a new sense of purpose.” On Tuesday, ten puppies were delivered to the prison …
News 8000 | Prison Launches Service Dog Training Program
BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. (WKBT) – The Jackson Correctional Institution in Black River Falls got a little puppy love Tuesday, part of a training exercise between inmates and a few four-legged friends. Inmate Lee Brooks is meeting his soon-to-be cellmate, Portia. “She’s going to be amazing, and she’s smart. Look at those eyes!” Brooks exclaims. Full of puppy excitement, Portia is happy to meet her newest friend. “It was my chance to give back. I love animals,” Brooks said. Portia is one of 10 black Lab puppies introduced to the Jackson Correctional Institution with inmates training them to one day …
WEAU 13 News | Inmates Train Service Puppies at Jackson Correctional Institution
BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. (WEAU) — A group of inmates at the Jackson Correctional Institution is giving back to the community by raising service dogs for the Minneapolis-based organization Can Do Canines. Ten puppies, all four months old and from the same litter of black Lab and Golden Retriever mixes checked into prison for a new adventure.The organization already works with several prisons across Wisconsin and Minnesota, but Tuesday marked the start of the program in Jackson County. The inmates will spend the next year raising the puppies and teaching them basic obedience commands. Can Do Canines says it has found success …