Alex Cracraft and Autism Assist Dog Comet By Joy Miller For eight years, Alex Cracraft of Fridley, Minnesota, and his Autism Assist Dog, Windy were an awe-inspiring team everywhere they went. With Windy’s love and support, Alex has become more confident and independent—an outcome which has thrilled his parents, Rich and Laura. Alex and Windy teamed up after the Cracraft family learned about Can Do Canines at an Autism Society Skills session. Alex was eight years old and in second grade. Now a junior in high school, Windy gratefully retired from active partnering with Alex in December of 2016. At …
Feature Stories
This Winter Will Melt Your Heart
Jo Smith and Mobility Assist Dog Winter By Emma Hage Jo Smith of Cross Lake, Minnesota has mobility issues as a result of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a heritable peripheral nerve disorder. She began to see her dexterity, balance, and ambulation decline, needing to wear braces on her legs for extra support. Getting around became a challenge. So when Jo realized that an assistance dog could be the help she needed, she reached out to Can Do Canines. Her pet dog had passed away recently, and Jo was excited about the possibility that a new dog could provide her with companionship …
Focused on Each Other
Logan and Autism Assist Dog Gypsy By Susan Byers A free-spirit. A rover. A wanderer. These are apt descriptors for a rescue dog, particularly one named Gypsy. And in some ways, it’s a fitting depiction of a young boy named Logan from Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, with a tendency to wander. This is the story of how these two kindred souls found each other. A rescue organization in northern Minnesota discovered Gypsy, a female German Shepherd mix. From the beginning, it was evident she was smart and responsive with a loving disposition—all qualities of an excellent assistance dog—so the organization …
“I don’t think I could give up the dog.”
When people consider working with Can Do Canines as a Puppy Program volunteer, one of the biggest hurdles to starting the application process is reconciling the idea of investing so much into a dog, only to have to turn them back over to Can Do Canines in the end. Providing an assistance dog in training the time, energy, effort, and love it takes to prepare them for a life of service is a gift of independence for a total stranger. Your commitment means changing someone’s life for the better. And while you might feel a bit sad when it’s time …
Robyn and Ziggy Conquer the World
Robyn Block and Seizure Assist Dog Ziggy By Erin Reyes After experiencing a skiing accident in 2013, Robyn Block of Good Thunder, Minnesota, developed a seizure disorder and migraines due to a traumatic brain injury. Since then, it’s been a long road to recovery. Teaming up with Ziggy, her Seizure Assist Dog, has been a life-altering step in her journey. Partnering with Ziggy has “changed my life in a lot of ways for the better,” says Robyn. Although things are going well for the duo now, Robyn initially wasn’t sure about the prospect of having an assistance dog. Despite the …
A New Sense of Mobility
Leigh Anne Marrin and Mobility Assist Dog Ginger In a house in northeast Minneapolis, Leigh Anne Marrin is adjusting to life with a new sense of mobility. Leigh Anne has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a group of connective tissue disorders that causes joints to be constantly fatigued, or to partially or fully dislocate. The syndrome has affected her grip strength, making it difficult to grab heavier objects. And once she’s grabbed something, she can’t combine movements like lift and pull, or reach and push. To ease some of the dislocations she experiences, Leigh Anne had foot surgery to put pins in her …
The Help She Needed
Laurie Tschida and Mobility Assist Dog Tikki Laurie Tschida lives in a quiet neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband, Jim. After losing their Terrier, Lucy, things seemed even quieter. But now the house is much livelier with the addition of Tikki, Laurie’s Mobility Assist Dog. “When we were first learning brace, I really needed help getting off the kitchen floor, and when [Tikki] did it for me I just started bawling,” Laurie says. “That just was everything to me … Then I knew that this was going to be right—that she was going to be the help I …
MS Cannot Stop Meta
Meta Mickelson and Mobility Assist Dog Willa By Bill Johnson Physical activity and a busy schedule have always come naturally to Meta Mickelson of Stanchfield, Minnesota. A horse lover and owner, she frequently attends races at Canterbury Downs and Running Aces, as well as horse shows. Other pastimes include road trips (the Great Smoky Mountains last spring) and outings to the drive-in theater in Lake Elmo. Recently, she bought a boat and looks forward to many fishing excursions. Learning about Meta’s on-the-go lifestyle, a person might have a hard time believing she has primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease …
Their Training Never Ends
Kyle Chambers and Mobility Assist Dog Rio By Sarah Schaff Imagine a child first learning to walk by following a path of items that steady their stride from Point A to Point B. They rely on a wall, person, or piece of furniture to catch them if they lose their balance. This strategy generally only lasts as long as it takes to develop the strength and stability to independently walk, but the need for help balancing never ended for Kyle Chambers of Roseville, Minnesota. Kyle has adapted to life after being born four months early and with cerebral palsy by …
A Bridge to a World Full of Sound
Bob Reynolds & Hearing Assist Dog Sophia By Patti Miller Life is full of sounds. Sounds alert us to fires, phone calls, visitors, text messages, emergency vehicles, severe weather, and so much more. Sounds of laughter, birds chirping, babies crying, dogs barking or tires screeching can be more than just sounds. If your world had limited sound, how would you cope? An accident left Bob Reynolds of Hudson, Wisconsin with a baseline skull fracture at age 25. He immediately lost all hearing in his left ear while hearing in his right ear was compromised. The doctors’ concerns that Bob would …
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