Feature Stories

Sharon, Paul, Kyle, Kyleen Bloomquist Sometimes it takes a family to raise a puppy. Or, more accurately in the Bloomquist’s case it takes a family to raise four puppies in three years. “We’re going to keep going until we beat the record, which we believe is around 20 dogs,” Sharon Bloomquist says. The Bloomquist family raises Can Do Canines puppies in training as a team. They even have official titles for each other. The mom, Sharon Bloomquist, is Head Trainer. 17 year-old son Kyle and 11 year-old Kyleen are Assistant Trainers and Sharon’s husband, Paul? “My husband is Kennel Crew. …

Jordan Gatzke & Autism Assist Dog Waylon A visitor walking down the hallway of a typical junior high school would be met with a variety of interesting sights—young people expressing themselves through creative haircuts or through T-shirts offering personal philosophies, emboldened with a sarcastic font. But what a visitor might not be prepared for is the sight of a black Lab sauntering down the hallway, tethered to the wrist of an 8th-grade boy. Jordon Gatzke and his Autism Assist Dog Waylon are one such sight in the hallways of Maple Grove Junior High School. Jordan and Waylon graduated from Can …

When Can Do Canines placed Mobility Assist Dog Rufus with Juliet Heinen two years ago, we knew we made a perfect match. The two were instant best friends (or BFF’s, as Juliet calls them) and Rufus loved assisting Juliet in every way possible, from opening and closing doors or drawers to getting the phone for Juliet in case of an emergency. But what we didn’t realize was that we also helped facilitate the perfect match of a different sort. “Rufus is getting married next month to a two-year-old Airedale terrier named Lacie. We’re having a ceremony and everything,” Juliet says. …

A shelter dog that can alert to sounds, pick things up and clear your apartment of intruders? Must be a Can Do Canine! A couple years ago, Greg Lawson and Mobility Assist Dog Oreo were coming home to their apartment in Minneapolis, Minn. Upon first entry, Oreo began to scamper from room to room, sniffing around as if something was amiss. He arrived at the bathroom to find the door closed and an alarm went off in the little Cockapoo’s mind … Something’s behind that door! Oreo started to bark continuously. Greg realized something was wrong and called the police. …

All Can Do Canines enjoy their work as assistance dogs, but some seem to really … really love their jobs. Take Caremyl, an Australian Shepherd partnered with Rebecca Thomas from Ramsey, Minn., in 2005. As a Hearing Assist Dog, Caremyl lives to help Rebecca, who has bilateral hearing loss. Rebecca can only hear low sounds, so her furry assistant helps her catch those high pitched noises such as doorbells or telephones. This assistance is most helpful when Rebecca is at work, teaching American Sign Language at Blaine High School. This is where our story begins. Here in Rebecca’s own words …

The Goldens of St. Paul, Minnesota, love to travel. They especially enjoy trips to the North Shore of Lake Superior, exploring parks and small towns from Duluth to Grand Marais. It wasn’t always this way for the family of four: dad Keith, mom Christine and the children, Finn and Brigid. In fact, prior to 2008, even a leisurely stroll to a neighborhood park was next to impossible. Keith recalls: “We were shut-ins. We basically didn’t go anywhere. We didn’t visit family, didn’t go to friends’ houses, restaurants or church. My wife used to say that our world was shrinking.” That was …

Life’s most important lessons are not always discovered in a classroom or within the pages of a book. Sometimes the concepts of compassion, charity and responsibility are found in a small furry package, complete with wagging tail and wet nose. While Sara Vander Lugt and her family have not been Can Do Canines volunteers for long, they already understand the Puppy Raiser Program has the knack of teaching all who get involved, human or canine, lessons that far transcend how to raise a dog. “Even two months into the Puppy Raising Program, I feel like my family has gotten a …

Carl Osbourne of Roseville, Minn. believes in the symbiotic nature of the world around him–a mutual beneficial give and take between living things. A practicing veterinarian for over 50 years (and recipient of over 43 honors and awards), this fascination to help other species continues to drive his work as a professor and researcher at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center. When discussing this appreciation for life Carl states, “If I was out in public and came across an ant, I would not step on it. But if a whole bunch of ants invaded my home … you better …

When a Can Do Canine doesn’t quite work out as planned, we don’t say the dog “wasn’t the right fit” or “washed out;” we prefer to say the dog has had a “career change.” This was indeed the case for Avett, a 4 year-old Great Pyrenees mix. Despite learning at incredible speeds and almost completing her certification, becoming a Can Do Canine just wasn’t in the cards. But this didn’t stop her from continuing to sniff out a way to help people with disabilities … this time as a therapy dog. Avett’s assistance dog journey began in 2010 when she …

Watch Video   Alan Peters looks at the newest pack of puppies with pride. “They are beautiful little pups. Every time you see a new pup you see that potential,” said Peters, who founded and runs the nonprofit Can Do Canines in New Hope. “You never know how they are going to grow up. It all depends on the volunteers. If they do a great job, the puppies grow up wonderfully.” Since 1988, the nonprofit has adopted and trained dogs to assist people with disabilities. The dogs are provided to people free of charge. The waiting list for the assistance dogs keeps …