By Ian Hebeisen Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 16, Lindsy has spent most of her life battling blood sugar swings. Now a couple decades later, she’s found a companion that enables her to live to the fullest: Ulric, a yellow Lab and Diabetes Assistance Dog from Can Do Canines. During the last few years, Lindsy has begun experiencing lows in her blood sugar that she didn’t notice. In serious instances, a drop in blood sugar could leave her unconscious. As a mother of three with a husband serving in the military, Lindsy felt afraid to be …
Feature Stories
Oxley’s Ears and Four Paws Compensate for What Zachary Has Lost
Zachary was in eighth grade in 2007 when he suddenly felt sick one day. What was initially suspected to be the flu ended up being bacterial meningitis—an illness that landed Zack in the hospital for 161 days. His mom, Desiree, explains, “Day by day we could see as the blood flow was being compromised to extremities, things would turn purple and then black.” Gradually, Zack had to have his right hand amputated above the wrist, as well as the fingers and thumb on his left hand and both of his legs below the knees. He also lost most of his …
Volunteer Spotlight: Mike and Tracy Zeckmeister
Mike and Tracy first began volunteering with Can Do Canines three years ago after the local chapter of their previous assistance dog group, Leader Dogs for the Blind, disbanded. Wanting to continue their assistance dog work, they found Can Do Canines through an online search. Since that time, they’ve helped raise four assistance dogs and taken on several puppy-sitting opportunities. Regarding their volunteer experience, the couple says, “We are very committed to training service dogs to help other people. We take our responsibilities very seriously. We view the dog we currently have as our “best dog”; this helps us to …
Pria is Earning Best Supporting Role in Jeremy’s Life
At age 17, Jeremy sustained a spinal injury when diving into a pool. “I knew about it right away when I looked down at my legs and saw they weren’t moving,” he says. Jeremy has no movement in his legs, fingers or hands. He relies on others for transportation, and when he drops items, he can’t pick them up. “I don’t want to rely on strangers,” states Jeremy, who is now in his late 30s. That was often the case when he was at work as a greeter in an Eau Claire, Wisconsin, movie theater. So, knowing someone who knows …
Moving Forward in a Different Way with a Different Dog
“Sunshine on four legs” is how Amy describes her new Mobility Assist Dog, Mosby, a 3-year-old black Lab. “Any space he’s in, he just fills it with light,” she said. The light in Amy’s world wasn’t seeming very bright in early 2021. Her previous Can Do Canine, a black Lab named Dinger, developed cancer in 2020 and passed away, after they had been together for eight years. Amy was heartbroken. She and Dinger had navigated a lot together, including college. So Amy, who has cerebral palsy, knew she couldn’t return to a life without an assistance dog. “I didn’t want …
A New Life with Furry Ears
The pandemic has caused an increase of accessibility awareness, namely how many people struggle with barriers in society that able-bodied people don’t realize. For instance, facemasks make it impossible to read lips, which people with hearing challenges sometimes need to do. That has been the case for Rita, who started wearing hearing aids over 25 years ago. Yet, hearing aids, alone, can be problematic, as Rita describes, “If you’re in crowded situations you hear noise, but you can’t decipher the noise from the words.” Even though hearing aids can amplify some things, she still relies on reading lips and being …
Remaining Open to Possibilities Allowed Steve to Add Quince to His Life
Shutting doors. That’s what Steve, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001, says is one of the most difficult tasks for him to manage on his own, especially when he’s using his power chair. “That’s problematic,” he explains. “I go through, and then with the chair and the footrest, you gotta lean in and you start trying to shut the door, but you have to back up because otherwise it’s going to hit. So that was my biggest challenge as far as being truly limited.” Steve talks in the past tense about that challenge, because he now has Mobility …
Even Without a Diagnosis, a Furry Companion is the Best Prescription
In high school, Maya went from being able to work as a barista to just a few months later being unable to stay upright for a shift. Her ability to withstand activity has continued to diminish over the past five years, and she has spent that time looking for answers from many medical professionals. “I think anyone with a chronic or rare illness knows that half the battle is finding a doctor to figure out what’s wrong with you. I’ve had several diagnoses in my life, some of them fit and some of them have not,” says Maya. Some conditions …
Volunteer Spotlight: The Wahl Family
Tonya Wahl first heard about Can Do Canines at an informational session in Eau Claire in January of 2017, and by April of the same year, she and her family were picking up their first Great Start puppy, a Black Labrador named Quil. After Quil moved on to prison, the Wahls decided to take the plunge into whelping, and they whelped the amazing “A” litter in July 2017. This was followed by several Short-Term Fosters before they once again opened their home to Quil. Tonya said, “We were very excited to get our first Great Start pup as a Long-Term …
Successor Success
By Bobb Elsenpeter For nine years, Paul’s stress and anxiety was alleviated by Autism Assist Dog Dawson, a Smooth Collie. By any measure, their relationship was an unmitigated success as they attended elementary and middle school together. But then things took a turn. Dawson started slowing down, developed arthritis and had trouble seeing. Ultimately, Dawson’s worsening health led to the need for a new Autism Assist Dog. Earlier this year, Paul was matched with Rafi, a black Lab, allowing Dawson to retire as their family pet. Rafi is a third-generation assistance dog for the Can Do Canines Breeding Program and …
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