Sheila Robeck and Mobility Assist Dog Coal By Tammy Waibel Sheila Robeck of St. Michael, Minnesota smiles with delight as she speaks about her Mobility Assist Dog, Coal. While he has only been with her since July, he has made a dramatic impact on her life and her family’s. Sheila, a C5-6 quadriplegic due to an auto accident in 2001, manages life with reduced range of motion in her shoulders and elbows, but very limited hand function. She uses a power wheelchair for mobility as well as adapted silverware, pens and a pointer for computer work but needed something more …
Feature Stories
Love at First Woof
Bella and Mobility Assist Dog Blaine By Hanna Kantor Life is full of transitional periods where we watch our lives change. One notable example of this is starting high school. We enter a place where, suddenly, we have more freedom than we once did, but not as much as we would like, and we get thrust into a new social hierarchy that we must learn to navigate. This is the world Bella from Plymouth, Minnesota recently entered. However, Bella has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which can make this transition more challenging. Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a disease that makes it difficult …
Improving Mobility with a Little Help from Zane
Cherish Grabau and Mobility Assist Dog Zane By Bobb Elsenpeter Like many people with multiple sclerosis, Cherish Grabau of Stewartville, Minnesota, has trouble getting her muscles to do what she tries telling them. It can be hard for her to walk, pick things up, and even get out of a chair. She has since discovered that with the help of a Mobility Assist Dog, life has gotten so much easier. She learned about the benefits of an assistance dog online, then followed up with her own personal research. “I was in one of my online MS groups and one of …
He Is Her Rock
Angela Otterholt and Mobility Assist Dog Yorick By Joy Miller Angela Otterholt has faced many physical challenges in her life—cerebral palsy, myoclonus, and epilepsy—but in the last 14 months, she has dealt with difficult emotional challenges as well. Her husband Curt died in August of 2016 after suffering an aneurysm and stroke. Then she and her youngest son, Jake, downsized their home and moved to Prior Lake, Minnesota. With Jake soon graduating from high school, her three sons and doctors started discussing what other changes needed to be made to help her navigate life—not only physically, but also emotionally. Enter …
Two Can Do
Lacey Hagen and Hearing Assist Dog Ynda By Susan Byers Lacey Hagen’s story is a tale of two dogs. Her first Can Do Canines journey began in 2003 with a lively Black Labrador Retriever named Pearl, a Hearing Assist Dog. For most of her life, Lacey has been significantly hearing impaired, resulting from meningitis when she was only one year old. Over the years, she relied on hearing aids to restore partial hearing, as well as support from her mother and later from college roommates. But when it came time to move out on her own, a friend convinced Lacey …
A Life Less Lonely
Connie Hanson and Mobility Assist Dog Trek By Kaity Padden Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a life-changing disease. It damages the protective covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and can greatly disrupt someone’s physical and cognitive abilities. It’s a disease that presents itself unexpectedly, showing different symptoms in each person it affects. However, Connie Hanson’s experience with MS has been made better by the companionship of a new assistance dog. A longtime resident of Richfield, Minnesota, Connie was working as a waitress when she was diagnosed with MS in 1999. Prior to her diagnosis, she had full …
A Gift for Alex
Alex Loehlein and Mobility Assist Dog Yahtzee By Leslie Flowers At first glance, Alex Loehlein of Andover, Minnesota looks like any other 10-year-old boy. Then you notice his gait is slightly different and he can’t walk as far as others his age. These are just a couple symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a genetic condition in which the body lacks dystrophin, a protein that keeps muscle cells intact. All muscles, including the heart, are affected and get weaker over time. Alex’s parents, Jackie and Adam, worry about Alex. When he is fatigued, simply reaching down to retrieve a dropped …
A Furry Medical Asset
Megan Johnson and Hearing Assistance Dog Duke By Sarah Schaff Living alone is a challenge on its own; you aren’t able to rely on someone having your back and a simple accident can quickly become an emergency. Having your own place while being deaf can make everyday activities difficult. This was one of Megan Johnson’s biggest concerns. Megan was born deaf and has had cochlear implants for 17 years. She still primarily signs and has extremely limited hearing, even with the implants. She uses a video phone, vibrating alarm clock, and flashing doorbell to function in a world she can’t …
A New Leash on Life
Marty Lukaszewski and Mobility Assistance Dog Laverne By Sarah Lennander Marty Lukaszewski of Blaine, Minnesota, says, “God gave me a talent to teach.” So he took that talent and became a teacher, working at Minnesota Virtual High School. He works from home most of the week, but on the days he’s in the office he turns a lot of heads. His coworkers come running when they see Marty and his 50-pound black Poodle, Laverne. But she’s not there for looks—she’s there to work, just like Marty. As a Mobility Assistance Dog, Laverne plays an important role in Marty’s life, just …
A Diamond in the Ruff
David and Mobility and Seizure Assistance Dog Jewel David and Jewel are a pretty unique team. The first reason is that Jewel is trained in two different assistance dog skills. But this team is unique in a second way—on Thursday, September 14, David and Jewel became the 600th team that Can Do Canines certified! Because of his disability, David needs both mobility and seizure assistance. So in July of 2017 he was matched with Jewel, a Black Labrador Retriever that does both mobility and seizure work. David has neurocognitive issues and peripheral neuropathy. This means he struggles with balance, especially …
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