Lobo Lights Up a Family in Work and Play

By Mary Gunderson - 

Lobo joined Joe and Barb's home at age 3 1/2 months. They got Lobo as a family pet, the first dog either Joe or Barb had had since childhood. When their three sons, each with special needs, were growing up, adding responsibilities for a dog didn’t make sense. Now with the sons at adult ages, getting a dog appealed to Joe and Barb.

Lobo’s gentle demeanor and fur, so fluffy, so soft, charmed them right away. However, love at first sight weakened just after bedtime when their perfect Husky howled from his kennel. And howled. And howled. The dog paid no attention to “Quiet!” “Stop barking!” At one point, their Spanish-speaking youngest yelled, “El Lobo, stop!” That’s when the family decided that their new family member had his name: Lobo is Spanish for “wolf.” The dog has never howled again unless asked. They had only begun to know Lobo’s possibilities.

Lobo and Joe took to each other. Joe practiced training skills he’d learned from his dad. Barb noted the pair’s relationship; the dog seemed to have what it takes to be a service dog. 

Joe was born with spina bifida, a condition where a gap between the spine and the brain occurs in utero, exposing the spinal cord and nerves. Joe calls his a ‘tethered’ spinal cord. As it moves, it stretches, causing a range of symptoms from mild to excruciating pain. “For me, it’s severe pain and spasms,” says Joe who worked as an auto mechanic and later in cell phone installation. 

Joe’s had surgery four times since 1987; symptoms are ongoing. “Lifting things makes it worse.” He walks short distances and says, “It isn’t easy; it isn’t pretty.” 

Barb, an ICU nurse, is familiar with therapy and assistance dogs in her work as a pediatric ICU nurse. She well knew what was needed from both the human and canine sides of the partnership. She researched various possibilities: “We wanted it done the proper way.”

They had friends who bred dogs for Can Do Canines. The organization sounded like a good fit. To be accepted, Lobo needed a letter of recommendation from their veterinarian (done), to graduate as a Canine Good Citizen (check) and to qualify through Can Do Canines testing. Accepted! Joe and Lobo trained for eight months toward the team’s graduation at Can Do Canines.  

For all his fine qualities, Lobo had some weak spots. “We weren’t sure he’d make it. His attention span was nil,” Joe says. “It was a task trying to get him to pick up a telephone.”

Yet, Joe needs Lobo to pick up a dropped phone or mug, move an item, or put something away. Thankfully, Lobo “got it.”  Lobo was trained to find Barb when Joe needed her. Apparently in Lobo’s mind, the “finding” applied to the whole family.  One day the cat got stuck in a dresser drawer. “Lobo pulled a ‘Lassie’ [for us] to come get the cat out,” Joe describes fondly. “I can look in his eyes and see the wheels working.” 

When a spasm strikes Joe, Lobo knows to lie down with him until it passes. “Lobo’s brought my pain down two points,” Joe says.

Lobo, who turned four in December 2024, is learning to do more for Joe. Currently, he’s learning to come to Joe’s aid if/when he falls. “The first time I fell it scared the dog,” Joe says. It takes time and practice.

“Lobo brings a level of comfort and joy we didn’t have before. Our sons, too, light up around Lobo,” Barb says.

Joe says, “For me, it’s camaraderie and he helps me physically.” Barb adds, “If Joe’s with Lobo, he has independence.”

Theirs is a family of avid campers from April to October. They’ve traveled to Mississippi, Florida, and Nashville. Lobo handles air travel with ease, too. He flew with Joe and Barb to Hawaii in January 2025 for a two-week stay.

On the home front, Joe builds and fixes things in his shed. He keeps an eye on the weather as an amateur ham radio operator, licensed and certified for sky warning. That is, Joe explains, “until Lobo says: ‘Let’s play!”