When Kim and Eric began considering an Autism Assist Dog for their son, Noah, they were hoping not only for a wonderful companion Noah could have growing up, but also a calming presence in his life. Noah’s autistic tendencies caused him to have what Kim describes as regular, lengthy meltdowns multiple times each day. Can Do Canines knew that Xavi, a 3 ½-year-old black Lab, could be the perfect calm within any storm. So when Xavi entered Noah’s life, the change was sudden and dramatic. Noah’s meltdowns have drastically decreased and are shorter in duration. Kim says, “I won’t even …
assistance dogs
Grady’s At-home Skills are a True Gift for Steve
Steve and Sherry were no strangers to Can Do Canines. Steve had Can Do Canine Rhett, a Golden Retriever, as a Mobility Assist Dog from 2007 until early 2021 when Rhett passed. Rhett had helped Steve with various tasks, both at home and out in the community. However, with the pandemic in effect, Steve was realizing that staying mostly at home was becoming his new way of life. He didn’t feel he needed a true mobility dog again, but having a certified dog that could help with tasks around the house was necessary. So when he and Sherry attended a …
Allie and Finley’s Joint Partnership Creates Independence
Allie first knew something was wrong when she was in seventh grade. While in gym class, she was walking to pick up a volleyball. She says, “The next thing I knew, I was on the ground and in more pain than I’d ever been in.” Her knee would not straighten until her dad helped release it later. Allie explains, “It popped, and that’s when we realized that it had dislocated.” The incident wasn’t an isolated one, and Allie kept experiencing joint dislocations, only to receive no helpful diagnoses. At age 16, she says she gave up, thinking, “I guess I’ll …
Mobility Assist Dog Molly Helps Ema Regain her Freedom
By Debbie Surman Many of us enjoy a good mystery, but sometimes that mystery can become a life-changing event leading us in a direction we never thought possible. Not long ago, Ema experienced one such conundrum that would have her feeling like her life would never be the same. Ema is a graduate school student, single mom, homeowner, soccer player, artist, and founding board member of an organization focused on empowering women and non-binary individuals through woodworking. For reasons unknown, she had an attack in 2021 that brought to light some underlying symptoms of vestibulopathy, thoracic outlet syndrome, and foraminal …
Facility Dog Clayton Works to Keep the Stress at Bay
The pandemic has created extreme stress for a number of professionals. The EMS paramedics with M Health Fairview are no exception. Kevin Kane, the Supervisor of M Health Fairview Ambulance Operations, said, “We help people and sometimes we forget that we need to take care of ourselves. Specifically, in the last couple of years with everything that’s been going on, it’s been unrelenting.” So Kevin looked into a unique coping mechanism—an assistance dog. Learning that M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital would be placing Can Do Canines dogs in their setting, Kevin wanted to follow their lead. When Can Do …
Demi Offers Extremely Helpful Benefits
“It’s been a very emotionally challenging eight years as a mother,” admits Tiffany, mother of not only 8-year-old Lucas, who has autism, but also two younger children, including another who has autism. Tiffany explains that Lucas struggles with his emotions. “[His] brain tells him everything to the extreme, sad, mad, nervous, even excited; it’s heightened.” As he has grown up, Lucas has had a tendency to do what is called “elopement” if something would upset him. Tiffany says, “He would just take off running because he wanted to avoid those feelings.” If it happens while they’re on their way somewhere, …
Rui Rui Continues Advocacy Efforts with Second Mobility Assist Dog
Rui Rui, a first-year college student, was born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), which causes a progressive loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation across various parts of the body. This means that Rui Rui’s balance is affected, and she cannot walk for long distances without the aid of an electric scooter or wheelchair. Rui Rui doesn’t have a lot of strength or stamina in her legs and wears braces to help her walk. In 2016, Can Do Canines paired her with Mobility Assist Dog Tango, who recently retired. With Rui Rui planning on heading to college in the fall, she …
Andy Brings Steve New Hope
Steve served in the military during the Vietnam War and then worked in construction for 35 years. The noises from both of those experiences contributed to gradual hearing loss. His audiologist even speculated that Steve’s cold-water swims in Lake Superior–an annual ritual–may have contributed to the condition as well. So when he would need to remove his cochlear implants at night and hearing aids were no longer doing the job, he left himself vulnerable to sounds left unheard. His wife, Margaret, says, “I used my outdoor voice a lot. It was exhausting.” Yet, beyond basic communication effectiveness, safety became a …
Open House: November 12, 2022
We will be hosting an open house on Saturday, November 12, from noon to 2 p.m., at our campus. Potential clients, volunteers, or anyone who might be interested in supporting the organization is invited to attend to learn how an assistance dog changes the life of a person with a disability. There is no pre-registration for this event, so please join us on November 12. You will be asked to share some contact information at our registration table, upon arrival. Take a virtual tour of our campus. Through a self-guided tour, attendees can: Watch a trainer demonstrate some general skills …
Camilla Bends George’s Life Toward a More Independent Direction
“I can do weird things with my joints.” This statement by George is not a source of pride, but rather, a source of pain…real, physical pain. George, who is 18, has a type of hypermobility spectrum disorder, possibly Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The challenges are related to his body’s connective tissue. He explains, “The ligaments around my joints just are super stretchy. There’s nothing holding them in place.” George’s struggles got worse as he got older, with hip and knee dislocations happening several times a day. Three years ago, he began using a wheelchair but says he didn’t expect the transition to …
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