Building Our Capacity to Serve

As we celebrate 35 years of empowering individuals with disabilities through the life-changing
partnership of assistance dogs, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the donors and volunteers who have made this mission possible. Your generosity has placed more than 900 specially trained assistance dogs with those in need, bringing freedom, independence, and peace of mind to so many lives.

Looking to the future, we recognize the growing demand for these services and the need to expand our capacity. That’s why we are excited to share the news of our upcoming expansion project, with a key component being the development of a new Birthing and Enrichment Center and Puppy Learning Center. This purposefully built addition to our facility will
play a crucial role in the early development and training of our puppies, ensuring they receive the consistent and intentional exposure they need to shape them into confident and adaptable assistance dogs, while also ensuring the most accessible volunteer experience possible.

We are guided by an ongoing commitment to providing each and every Can Do Canine pair with the most exceptional care and training possible.

Since we understand the need for responsible growth, this expansion is part of a comprehensive 10-year plan that prioritizes quality over quantity. The project will create a sustainable environment for our humans first. The health of our puppies is directly impacted by the well-being of our staff and volunteers. That’s why this plan includes investments in additional staff and volunteer recruitment in addition to expansion of the facility. We aim to gradually increase the number of teams we certify each year, reaching 70 by 2033.

The vision for this project also includes:

• A dedicated Volunteer Center for volunteers to safely and conveniently drop off or pick up dogs or supplies
• Two client overnight rooms to host out-of-town clients while they train with their new partner
• Much-needed space to allow us to grow and serve more people and communities, including:
  • A new veterinary room for our on-site vet technician and contract veterinarians
  • Two additional training rooms
  • Added kennel space for dogs in final training
  • Expanded office and meeting space for our growing staff

Our board and executive leadership team are currently in the planning stages of designing a finance package to fund this transformative vision. The package will include a mix of gifts and grants from individuals, businesses, and foundations who share our passion.

We invite you to join us at the ground level of this exciting journey by sharing your ideas and insights. Watch our Howler e-newsletter to take part in a virtual conversation we are hosting via Zoom in mid November to discuss this topic. Also, if you have connections to individuals, corporations, or foundations (locally or nationally) that might be interested in supporting this project, let us know. Your input could play a vital role in expanding our impact. Please reach out to Development Director Sheila Ross at sross@candocanines.org.

Thank you for being an integral part of our mission. Together, we can continue to change lives—one partnership at a time.