A few years ago, Kristi DeRop was watching a morning news program when a story about Can Do Canines came on, highlighting the need for volunteer puppy raisers. She remembers thinking, “WOW … I can play with puppies AND help others, where do I sign up?” We’re glad Kristi did sign up because since then, she has signed up to help in numerous, repeated ways. Kristi with Can Do Canine Gouda She and her husband eased in by hosting dogs for prison breaks from the Waseca prison, which, at that time, involved a Thursday through Monday morning commitment. Meeting several of …
Feature Stories
Courtney is Happy as a Lark with her Assistance Dog
By Mike Branch – As an infant, Courtney experienced numerous ear infections and lost most of her hearing at a very early age. Today, babies are tested for hearing in the first few months of life, but when Courtney was a baby, that wasn’t the case. Her hearing loss wasn’t fully discovered until she started school. As she grew older, it became more difficult for her to participate in class and engage with others. Fast forward to today. Courtney is a Registered Nurse living near Madison, WI. She works with patients, doctors, and others in a professional setting. Outside of …
The Impact of an Ordinary Day
By Beth Billstrom – It was an ordinary day. Mark was in his car waiting at a stoplight. He was on his way to pick up his daughter from daycare. Without any warning, a fully loaded construction truck traveling 60 miles an hour plowed into the back of Mark’s vehicle. The impact of the hit sent Mark’s car crashing into the vehicle in front of him. That day changed Mark’s life forever. Due to the accident, Mark’s head is now permanently tilted backward, unable to move in any direction. The medical community refers to his condition as severe dystonia or …
Alex has his own Marvelous Superhero
Marvel Entertainment features some amazing superheroes: Captain America, Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow are just a few. Eleven-year-old Alex, who has autism, has an equally amazing superhero in his life–Autism Assist Dog Marvel! Alex’s mom, Thomera, describes her son as “smart, kind, and funny.” He enjoys Legos, video games, soccer, and playing Star Wars. But, describing the challenges of having a child with autism, she notes, “Every day is a struggle. Structure is important, and deviation from the plan can cause a meltdown. Textures, food, and fabric can be hard. Sounds, lights, and over-stimulation can cause dysregulation.” For …
Mobility Assist Dog Gina is More than Ruth Ever Expected
“I could do anything,” Ruth says of her seemingly normal life before 2020. Then, a minor injury changed everything. While working with a child with disabilities with their wheelchair, Ruth sprained her left thumb. Strangely, the pain and symptoms didn’t stay contained to her thumb. “My hand blew up the size of a football,” recalls Ruth. Within about a month, a simple sprained thumb turned into something nobody expected as Ruth was diagnosed with the rare condition complex regional pain syndrome. She cites that the pain moved into her arms and then her legs, and she has even experienced strokes …
A Returned Sense of Security
By Debbie Surman – Barry’s parents learned he was deaf when he was 18 months old. Then, when he was 7, they also learned he had “optic atrophy,” which, ultimately left him legally blind. This combination is called DeafBlind. Although Barry uses hearing aids, high-pitched sounds like doorbells, sirens, phones, etc. are difficult to hear. Plus, optic atrophy causes blurred vision and blind spots, making it difficult for him to see distances or in darkness, and he can easily miss seeing flashing lights. For 13 years, he successfully navigated the challenges with the assistance of his first beloved hearing dog, …
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 …
Catie Relishes New Role, Now with Virgil
“I am a huge dog-training nerd,” says Catie, referring to her excitement when she, her husband, and their son began hosting dogs in their home as Puppy Program volunteers for Can Do Canines five years ago. With her son in school more then, she explains, “I had some more space in my life to find new ways to engage in the community.” Catie progressed to volunteering at the front desk, being a Volunteer Pack Leader, and serving in other ways. “Whatever was helpful,” she says. Yet Catie didn’t suspect that she would eventually interact with Can Do Canines in a …
Victoria is Learning to Trust Siku for Sounds
Author and educator Stephen Covey is quoted as saying, “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” Victoria, who was born with a genetic disorder that has progressively affected her hearing, is being challenged to trust in a new way these days. Victoria’s condition, known as primary ciliary dyskinesia, means that her cilia—the hairlike structures that line internal airways—are not flexible like they should be. So although Victoria began using hearing aids nearly 30 years ago, she has a hard time using them. Her defective cilia …
Pierce Stays on High Alert for Lows
“I’m full of rare stuff,” says Crystal Gail. First came her rare brain disease in 2008, intracranial hypertension, with symptoms that mimic a brain tumor. Then, in 2021, she stumbled upon reactive hypoglycemia. As a professional backpacker paid to write about the regions she explores, Crystal Gail was traversing the Arizona Trail when she began describing the map backward to her fellow travelers and exhibiting other odd behaviors. Doctors eventually diagnosed her with a condition that leaves her blood sugar constantly low. She explains that it’s like having Type 1 diabetes without the highs. When her blood sugar drops below …
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