• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Client Services Login
  • Current Volunteers

Can Do Canines Assistance Dogs logo

Our Dogs Fetch Amazing Things

  • Our Dogs
          • Assistance Dogs
            • Mobility Assist Dogs
            • Autism Assist Dogs
            • Seizure Assist Dogs
            • Diabetes Assist Dogs
            • Hearing Assist Dogs
            • Facility Dogs
          • How to Apply
            • Assistance Dog FAQs
            • Is an Assistance Dog Right for You?
          • Journey of a Can Do Canine
          • Where Our Dogs Come From
          • Career-Changed Dogs
  • Get Involved
          • Volunteer
            • Dog Hosting Opportunities
            • Campus, Event, and Remote Opportunities
          • Buy Merchandise
          • Spread the Word
          • Donate
            • Sustaining Monthly Gifts
            • Estate and Planned Giving
            • Workplace Giving
            • More Ways to Give
            • Wish Lists
          • Events
            • Fetching Ball Gala
            • Can Do Woofaroo
            • Open House
            • Graduation
            • Pups in Prison Event
            • Corporate Partnerships
  • About
          • About Us
          • Our Humans
          • Our Story
          • Our WAG Center
          • Prison Puppy Program
          • Careers
          • Our Finances & Annual Report
            • Charitable Organization Registration Compliance
          • News
            • Newsletter Archive
          • FAQs for Medical Professionals
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Our Dogs
          • Assistance Dogs
            • Mobility Assist Dogs
            • Autism Assist Dogs
            • Seizure Assist Dogs
            • Diabetes Assist Dogs
            • Hearing Assist Dogs
            • Facility Dogs
          • How to Apply
            • Assistance Dog FAQs
            • Is an Assistance Dog Right for You?
          • Journey of a Can Do Canine
          • Where Our Dogs Come From
          • Career-Changed Dogs
  • Get Involved
          • Volunteer
            • Dog Hosting Opportunities
            • Campus, Event, and Remote Opportunities
          • Buy Merchandise
          • Spread the Word
          • Donate
            • Sustaining Monthly Gifts
            • Estate and Planned Giving
            • Workplace Giving
            • More Ways to Give
            • Wish Lists
          • Events
            • Fetching Ball Gala
            • Can Do Woofaroo
            • Open House
            • Graduation
            • Pups in Prison Event
            • Corporate Partnerships
  • About
          • About Us
          • Our Humans
          • Our Story
          • Our WAG Center
          • Prison Puppy Program
          • Careers
          • Our Finances & Annual Report
            • Charitable Organization Registration Compliance
          • News
            • Newsletter Archive
          • FAQs for Medical Professionals
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
Home / Feature Stories / Page 2

Feature Stories

Zoie’s Transition into Meg’s Life Makes a Big Impact

March 26, 2025

woman sitting in wheelchair and leaning head down toward black Lab dog sitting next to her; both are smiling at camera

“I’m sure this is how people with a new baby feel,” says Meg, having received Mobility Assist Dog Zoie recently. Noting her copious amounts of photos, Meg admits, “I’m obsessed with her,” but also concedes some anxiety about their first meeting. “I was super nervous ’cause she’s so smart and I want to make sure that I don’t break her. Right? Like trying to make sure that I help her continue to be the best that she can be.” Now Zoie, too, is trying to help Meg be her own best self, given that Meg sustained a break.  In 2008, …

Lobo Lights Up a Family in Work and Play

March 19, 2025

man sitting on chair in front of barn-like shed with white Husky dog wearing red service cape lying on grass next to him

By Mary Gunderson –  Lobo joined Joe and Barb’s home at age 3 1/2 months. They got Lobo as a family pet, the first dog either Joe or Barb had had since childhood. When their three sons, each with special needs, were growing up, adding responsibilities for a dog didn’t make sense. Now with the sons at adult ages, getting a dog appealed to Joe and Barb. Lobo’s gentle demeanor and fur, so fluffy, so soft, charmed them right away. However, love at first sight weakened just after bedtime when their perfect Husky howled from his kennel. And howled. And …

Collin’s Gratitude for Assistance Dogs is All-encompassing

March 12, 2025

split image of black and white photo of black Lab dog on left and on right, a woman sitting in a chair in a living room with the black Lab dog lying next to her; both are smiling at camera

2013 was a devastating year for Collin. Her first Can Do Canine, Cher, a Diabetes Assist Dog, died that June from lymphoma at only 5 years old. Two days later, Collin’s mom died, and the following month, both her aunt and her best friend died on the same day. However, in July, Collin received Giles, her second Can Do Canine. “Giles was great comfort,” says Collin. Giles was also a Diabetes Assist Dog, and Collin remembers, “He would alert me. And so then I’d look at my meter, and it showed that it was going down fast. He was helpful …

Volunteer Overcomes her Fear of Dogs and Reduces Students’ Anxieties

March 6, 2025

young woman smiling joyfully at camera while holding young yellow puppy that is licking her temple

Becca Wicks first learned about Can Do Canines when another volunteer talked about it at Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC), where she works. Becca says, “I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to see if a dog would fit within my lifestyle and to also overcome my slight fear of them.” She’d had limited experiences with dogs previously, but admits, “Choosing to become a volunteer was one of the best choices I made.” According to Puppy Program Manager, Lindy Luopa, Becca has been a “dedicated and reliable volunteer since 2022.” In these past three years, she has …

Steph and Deja: Tackling Everyday Tasks and Having Fun Along the Way

March 5, 2025

woman sitting on chair on grass with hand on black Lab service dog wearing red cape sitting next to her; both are smiling at camera

By Tracy Will –  For Steph, the desire to get an assistance dog was rooted in the hope that it could make her daily life a little easier. In black Lab Deja, she got that and so much more. Since coming home with Steph, Deja has become a much-loved family member with a big personality. “She’s a wonderful dog. She does so much good work,” Steph says. “But she also plays. She can be lazy. And yes, sometimes she does things she’s not supposed to. She’s a regular dog. But one with really cool skills.” In 2015, an injury damaged …

Abbi Finds Peace and Safety with Lucy in her Life

February 20, 2025

woman sitting on kitchen chair with hand on yellow Lab dog wearing red service cape; both are looking at the camera

When Abbi started to have focus and memory problems in 2018, she was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the brain. Abbi explains the effects, saying, “I drop so many things like my phone, stylus, remote, medicine bottles, etc.” That is a common problem when Abbi tries to cook because food items and knives fall out of her hands, and she can end up with cuts and burns. Other symptoms affect her too. “Bending down and stooping for me is hard because I either fall or hit my head or body.” Additionally, Abbi has “chorea” from her …

Gwen Brings New Hope to Gabrielle’s Life

February 5, 2025

young woman with long blonde hair sitting on sofa with arms around black Lab wearing a red service cape; both are smiling at camera

About five seizures a week for three straight years. That’s what Gabrielle experienced from a non-epileptic seizure disorder, brought on by Chronic Lyme Disease in late 2020. “It has affected my daily life, emotionally, physically, and socially, and has made me not able to work or go to school,” she says.  She feared going anywhere in public, not knowing when a seizure would strike. And although she was able to move out of her family’s home last May, that transition wasn’t bringing her the desired comfort. She explains, “Every day there was a fear of me falling or having seizures …

Lulu Helps This Veteran Live Life in Color

January 29, 2025

man sitting on sofa with arm around black Lab sitting next to him wearing red Can Do Canines service cape; both are looking at the camera

By Mike Branch –  War veteran. Army Medic. Paratrooper. Field soldier. Thirty-two years of intense military service, including four wars, have left Will Cruz with injuries “from head to toe,” including a traumatic brain injury and PTSD. When Will finally retired from the U.S. Army in 2012, he wanted only three things: a wood shop, a home near school, and a dog. Will heard about Can Do Canines through a web search. “I looked for ADI organizations near me and Can Do Canines popped up.” Living in New Hope at the time, he considered Can Do Canines an obvious choice, …

Yarrow Offers Kelsi Healing, Courage, and Love

January 15, 2025

According to Greek mythology, the white flowers on the yarrow plants symbolize healing, courage, and love. Kelsi, who was recently matched with Mobility Assist Dog Yarrow, believes that Yarrow’s name is fitting. Although their partnership is just beginning to bloom, Kelsi states that “Yarrow already provides me with all of this and more.”  Kelsi is a graduate student pursuing her Masters of Arts in Occupational Therapy. She also lives with symptoms of what is known in the medical world as the “trifecta,” which includes Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), as well …

Nigel is on the Clock for Beth

January 15, 2025

woman kneeling on grass and smiling at camera while yellow Lab dog wearing red Can Do Canines cape licks her chin

“I basically woke up one day and couldn’t hear,” says Beth, who experienced sudden hearing loss in her 30’s. “I actually worked at a doctor’s office at that point and had somebody check my ears. Unfortunately, it was an OB/GYN office, and nobody there knew how to diagnose and treat it. If it had been caught quickly, she might have regained her hearing, “but I didn’t know that and no one I worked with knew that apparently.”  In the approximately 20 years since then, Beth has also developed a hereditary, progressive hearing loss. “Without my hearing aids, there’s very little …

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Feature Stories (452)
  • News (165)
  • Uncategorized (16)

Archives

  • May 2025 (5)
  • April 2025 (5)
  • March 2025 (6)
  • February 2025 (5)
  • January 2025 (6)
  • December 2024 (5)
  • November 2024 (6)
  • October 2024 (8)
  • September 2024 (5)
  • August 2024 (3)
  • July 2024 (5)
  • June 2024 (4)
  • May 2024 (7)
  • April 2024 (7)
  • March 2024 (7)
  • February 2024 (6)
  • January 2024 (6)
  • December 2023 (3)
  • November 2023 (5)
  • October 2023 (8)
  • September 2023 (5)
  • August 2023 (5)
  • July 2023 (4)
  • June 2023 (5)
  • May 2023 (5)
  • April 2023 (8)
  • March 2023 (9)
  • February 2023 (5)
  • January 2023 (8)
  • December 2022 (4)
  • November 2022 (5)
  • October 2022 (5)
  • September 2022 (2)
  • August 2022 (5)
  • July 2022 (4)
  • June 2022 (4)
  • May 2022 (5)
  • April 2022 (7)
  • March 2022 (6)
  • February 2022 (8)
  • January 2022 (6)
  • December 2021 (4)
  • November 2021 (7)
  • October 2021 (5)
  • September 2021 (8)
  • August 2021 (4)
  • July 2021 (4)
  • June 2021 (8)
  • May 2021 (7)
  • April 2021 (5)
  • March 2021 (5)
  • February 2021 (5)
  • January 2021 (7)
  • December 2020 (5)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (6)
  • September 2020 (6)
  • August 2020 (8)
  • July 2020 (4)
  • June 2020 (3)
  • May 2020 (3)
  • April 2020 (3)
  • March 2020 (3)
  • February 2020 (3)
  • January 2020 (2)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • November 2019 (3)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • September 2019 (8)
  • August 2019 (2)
  • July 2019 (3)
  • June 2019 (2)
  • May 2019 (1)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (1)
  • February 2019 (3)
  • January 2019 (3)
  • November 2018 (5)
  • October 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (4)
  • August 2018 (4)
  • July 2018 (5)
  • June 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • April 2018 (3)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (3)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (10)
  • September 2017 (5)
  • August 2017 (2)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (6)
  • May 2017 (18)
  • April 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (2)
  • February 2017 (11)
  • January 2017 (15)
  • December 2016 (5)
  • November 2016 (5)
  • October 2016 (20)
  • July 2016 (10)
  • June 2016 (2)
  • May 2016 (2)
  • April 2016 (2)
  • February 2016 (11)
  • January 2016 (1)
  • December 2015 (1)
  • October 2015 (15)
  • September 2015 (2)
  • August 2015 (1)
  • July 2015 (6)
  • May 2015 (1)
  • April 2015 (11)
  • March 2015 (1)
  • December 2014 (2)
  • November 2014 (2)
  • October 2014 (4)
  • September 2014 (4)
  • August 2014 (3)
  • July 2014 (2)
  • June 2014 (3)
  • May 2014 (3)
  • April 2014 (2)
  • November 2013 (1)
  • August 2013 (1)
  • June 2013 (1)
  • July 2012 (2)
  • April 2012 (1)
  • November 2011 (1)
  • October 2011 (1)
  • July 2011 (1)
  • March 2011 (2)

Footer

Can Do Canines Assistance Dogs oval logo

Phone iconContact Us

763-331-3000
info@candocanines.org

Map iconLocation

9440 Science Center Drive
New Hope, Minnesota 55428
Directions
Assistance Dogs International Accredited Member websiteCandid. Platinum Transparency 2024 logo  Charities Review Council Meets Standards website

© 2025 Can Do Canines. All Rights Reserved.Contact Us  |  Careers  |  Press Kit  | Accessibility Statement  |  Privacy Policy  |  Site Map

Love reading about my friends?

yellow Lab dog wearing a service dog cape and smiling at camera

 

 

 

 

Subscribe to our e-newsletter