If you find yourself driving in a particular rural area of Wisconsin at night, you might see some odd-looking headlights coming at you. They could be coming from those on Gavin’s wheelchair—the ones that his Mobility Assist Dog, Yuma, turned on for him by pressing a button on the chair. The need for Gavin’s wheelchair stems from a Christmas Day 2021 skiing accident when Gavin was a freshman in high school. The result of a crash rammed his head into a wooden post, breaking his neck and paralyzing him from the neck down. He says, “I can move my left …
Archives for May 2025
Echo’s Help Reverberates Throughout Mary’s Life
An echo is based on repetition. The repetition Mary needed in her life when she started researching assistance dogs was for successful movement. So, she got herself an Echo … Mobility Assist Dog Echo, that is! Mary says, “I was diagnosed with a rare genetic neuromuscular disease in early May 2023. This disease affects my muscles and causes severe weakness, mainly in my legs, and is a slow, progressive disease.” For Mary, that means difficulty walking, standing, bending, lifting, and climbing stairs. “Walking any kind of distance was a big risk for me. I would trip and fall a lot.” …
Autism Assist Dog Arlo Comes Fully Prepared
Stacy only took her eyes off her young son, Owen, for a few seconds while she grabbed something out of her bag. When she looked back at where he had been at a museum play area in a mall, he was gone. While this is a scenario many parents have fearfully encountered, the fact that Owen has autism compounded the threat. Fortunately, another parent helped with a safe and speedy reunion, but Stacy says, “That was the very first time that I thought ‘This is going to be a forever thing for us. He has no idea what safety is.’” …
Connie Knows the Blessing of a Mobility Assist Dog
Although Connie was diagnosed in 1999 with multiple sclerosis, she continued to live a fairly normal life. That is, until two years later, when she had a severe attack. She says, “I just hopped out of bed one day, and the bottom of my feet were numb. Seven days later, I was totally paralyzed from the waist down.” For several years, she managed with a support network. But after the death of both her husband of 30 years and their pet dog, which they had trained to pick up things for her, Connie found herself on her own. She wasn’t …
Phuong Le Uses Her Superpowers to Fill a Needed Role
You don’t need to have X-ray vision to realize the beneficial contribution that Phuong (Lê) Le makes to Can Do Canines. Since December 2021, Lê has been “providing time, experience, and affiliation with Access Veterinary Care (who has generously allowed us to utilize their X-ray machine) to help get radiographic images for Can Do Canines’ dogs.” She first learned of our organization from a co-worker there who also volunteered for Can Do Canines at that time. She says, “One day she asked if I was possibly interested in helping her get X-rays on some of the dogs from Can Do …