Although Connie was diagnosed in 1999 with multiple sclerosis, she continued to live a fairly normal life. That is, until two years later, when she had a severe attack. She says, “I just hopped out of bed one day, and the bottom of my feet were numb. Seven days later, I was totally paralyzed from the waist down.”
For several years, she managed with a support network. But after the death of both her husband of 30 years and their pet dog, which they had trained to pick up things for her, Connie found herself on her own.
She wasn’t for long, though. Upon applying for a Mobility Assist Dog with Can Do Canines in 2017, she was soon matched with Trek, a Goldador (Golden Retriever and Labrador mix). Connie describes Trek as “kind of a laid-back guy. When I asked him to do something, he's like, ‘Well, hold on. I gotta stretch first, and let me itch first.’”
But she loved Trek dearly, and he helped her immensely. So when Trek died in January 2024, Connie knew she wanted another Can Do Canine.
Within months, she began working with Yana, a black Lab. Shortly into their training, some medical concerns arose with Yana, and the pair had to curtail their training. After the pain of losing Trek, Connie was nervous about the potential of having an assistance dog with health issues, but she says, “She was in my head all the time. I kept asking about her. You guys just kept working with her and got her healthy. You didn’t give up on her, and I'm very grateful for that.”
Connie and Yana resumed their training and were certified in late 2024, with Connie emphasizing, “She’s healthy and doing great!”
Yana definitely has a different personality than Trek. Connie explains, “She's always looking at me, [seeming to ask] ‘What do you want me to do?’ I'm constantly finding things for her to do. Even though I don't need it, I'll hand her something and make her follow me, just because she wants to work all the time.”
Some of the work Yana provides is retrieving a phone, opening and closing drawers and doors, helping tug off Connie’s jacket, and picking up dropped items. “If I have something on my lap and it falls off, I don't realize it because I can't feel my legs and so I'm constantly dropping stuff,” says Connie. Yana is also the “grabber” of Connie’s grabber when that device ends up on the floor. Her energy is also put to use by fetching Connie’s niece, Kelly, who serves as Connie’s personal care assistant. Connie is amused by Yana’s exuberance, saying, “When I tell her to ‘Get help,’ she goes running and she nudges my niece so hard sometimes that she's like, “Oh geez, she practically knocked me over!”
The two women shared another humorous moment when Kelly was trying to take a photo of Connie and Yana and wanted Yana’s front legs on Connie’s lap. Not knowing that specific cue, Connie told Yana to ‘Jump up.’ “ Well, she jumped all four on my lap, and I was shocked. I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh, wrong word.’ But it was the funniest thing because she did what I said, you know. We were just laughing so hard!”
Connie is serious about the difference the impact of these dogs, though. “I was kind of left with nobody. And then I got Trek and Yana, and they fill so much of my life.” With a Can Do Canine by her side, she has a feeling of independence when going out in public and a sense not feeling so intimidated at home if Kelly isn’t there. Speaking about Yana, she states, “ It's just having the comfort of knowing that if I need something, she's there.”
For that, she credits the many people associated with Can Do Canines who “help people like me stay independent and part of society.”
She is especially appreciative of the staff members who visited her home to make sure she felt comfortable performing simple preventative measures to keep Yana’s health concerns at bay. Plus, she is grateful for the many Can Do Canines volunteers, citing “all the hard work and unconditional love that everyone gives these dogs from the day they are born and all the sacrifices they do for people like me. I’m just grateful and thankful and feel very blessed that I met Can Do Canines and they gave me such beautiful partners.”
Thank you to all those who made this partnership possible:
Whelping Home — The Lindemann Family
Raisers — Nelly Barrera Rea, Jean Wang
Special Thanks — Jackson Correctional Institution
Phuong Le Uses Her Superpowers to Fill a Needed Role
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