Brad Schleif is Driven to Volunteer

Brad and Mary Beth Schleif began their relationship with Can Do Canines after Mary Beth met founder Al Peters at a nonprofit meeting over 10 years ago. They began hosting dogs, having raised several for more than a year at a time, not to mention many others in between.

Then, in September 2022, Brad retired from his job, and his volunteer activity with us really shifted into gear, as he began also transporting dogs to necessary places. 

Typically his precious cargo includes puppies, often to one of our prisons. Brad says he has driven to six of the different institutions and has also trekked to Michigan, Ohio, and other states to pick up or drop off puppies for our breeding cooperative. He shares that these excursions have given him great excuses to reconnect with Midwest friends he hasn’t seen for a while, especially if he’s looking for a more friendly place to stay than a hotel when on overnight trips. 

Defining puppies as somewhat of a “wild card,” Brad explains that Can Do Canines staff make the volunteer experience “really easy,” by making sure the pups are all ready to go upon his arrival at our facility. Despite having done their “business” prior to leaving, the pups’ small bodies can be precarious. Even while Brad might be listening to an audiobook while cruising down the highway, he admits that he’s not above engaging in potty discussions with the little critters. Still, he says, “There might be a present for me for when we arrive back at Can Do Canines,” describing a dropping in one of the kennels. He’s quick to add that staff members gladly take care of clean-up duty.

Most trips are “fortunately uneventful,” says Brad, and the puppies generally fall asleep pretty easily. He does recall a “wild snow trip to Duluth” when schools were closed for weather and he was on a timeline to get two puppies back to the Twin Cities to get them onto a flight to another organization. Luckily, the puppies were cooperative, and Brad’s comfort with our vehicles and winter driving caused no issues.

Brad usually buckles himself into one of our vans two to three times per month. Sometimes his assignment is to pick up a dog living with one of our FETCH program students, as these volunteers might not have cars to bring the dog to an appointment.

Regardless of the reason, he finds it very satisfying to be a part of this volunteer activity. “I can’t imagine the costs [for Can Do Canines] otherwise,” he says. Plus, given his dog-hosting experience, he sometimes even knows the mothers or fathers of some of the puppies he’s transporting. “It’s really cool!”

Brad hopes that others realize the flexibility that Can Do Canines offers volunteers, especially with hosting dogs. Even if someone takes a dog for a few days, it can be helpful. And as Brad says, “There’s nothing not to love about this place!”