Greg Lawson always loved to travel and was able to as a flight attendant and travel agent for many years. After moving to Minneapolis and meeting his partner, Ray, he continued to travel for fun. Then Type 2 diabetes caused serious complications in his health. Diabetic neuropathy has taken away Greg’s ability to feel his feet or stand and walk since 2005. He uses a powerchair to maneuver around, but when he drops things, he is unable to reach the ground to pick them up. Oreo was Greg’s first Can Do Canines Mobility Assist Dog, who recently passed away. Knowing …
assistance dogs
When Equipment Failed, a Dog Succeeded
Staying active and independent is a goal for most adults, but for some, life’s challenges can disrupt those goals. Like most young adults, Jack has big ambitions and works full time while making plans to return to school to further his education. A life with progressive hearing loss all has made that more difficult. As an infant, Jack was diagnosed with mild hearing loss, but doctors were uncertain of the cause. He had a hard time finding the proper hearing equipment to improve his hearing, causing his hearing to further decline. Now he has profound hearing loss and is unable …
Looking Forward to Her Glory Days
Disabilities can go by many names, or sometimes no name at all. Janelle knows this all too well. She lives with multiple health conditions that make every single day different. She may feel energized while doing a task one day, but completely exhausted after doing the exact same thing another day. The fatigue affects Janelle the most, and it goes beyond feeling drained. The plunge in her energy level is so sudden that in a brief moment she is no longer able to hold objects or walk safely. Her eyesight changes, adding a level of complication to navigating safely. Janelle …
Volunteer Spotlight: Betsy Peregoy and Janice Hunton
“We discovered Can Do Canines by way of an internet search,” Betsy says. “After stumbling upon and watching the documentary film Pick of the Litter, we were inspired to find out about local organizations engaged in this important work. The time was right: our beloved 15-year-old pet Black Lab had passed a few months earlier, so we were keenly aware of the void felt in our household – now pet-less for the first time in 37 years! – and, we were newly retired from full-time work. The opportunity to volunteer with Can Do Canines Puppy Program offered us a focused purpose, …
A Nose Knows Best
Disabilities are often a tremendous burden for the individuals who live with them, even if they are invisible to others. If you ran into Isaac today, you’d never know he was living with a disability, except that he’s connected to an assistance dog. So why does he need a working companion with him all the time? Isaac, a dedicated college student from Kenosha, Wisconsin, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was just 4 years old, and nearly 20 years later was still seeking new tools to improve his management. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which …
Raising A Future Assistance Dog During A Crisis
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to lay hold in Minnesota, we were forced to initiate major changes in our lives. In response to the shelter in place order, Can Do Canines closed our facility, canceled all upcoming events, and moved thirty kennel dogs and eighty prison dogs into private homes—bringing the total number of Can Do Canines in volunteers’ homes to 320. So what is it like to raise a future assistance dog during an unprecedented global health crisis? We asked a few of our Puppy Program volunteers to share their experience, and here is what they shared. At first, …
The Gift of a Great Start: The Cerar Family
Puppy Program volunteers are involved in every stage of a future assistance dog’s journey. When the puppies reach 10-weeks of age they take one of two paths through the remainder of the program—either Puppy Raised in prison or Puppy Raised in one of our volunteer’s homes. Before pups go into the Prison Program they get a jump start on the basics in a Great Start Home. From 10–20 weeks of age these pups will continue work on potty and crate training, and focus on basic obedience, house manners, and social exposure. We caught up with the Cerar Family as they …
Welcoming a Chance for Change
Unexpected Changes Melissa is an active young lady–attending college, traveling, and participating in a dedicated theater life. However, last year, she began experiencing alarming symptoms that caused serious health issues. Doctors said her autonomic (involuntary) nervous system was being affected, specifically her blood flow regulation. She was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). This means that Melissa’s blood pressure will suddenly drop after she changes position, such as sitting to standing. She feels waves of intense fatigue and if she moves too quickly or overexerts herself, she can pass out. She has episodes where she is debilitatingly dizzy or …
A Ray of Light and a New Life
When Your Life Suddenly Changes To have the life you know taken away in an instant is an unthinkable event. In 2009, it became Dawne’s reality. Dawne sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that resulted in a delayed grand-mal seizure. Months later she fell into a coma and developed further complications including seizures, episodes of a sudden chemical imbalance, migraines, overall mobility weakness, fatigue, and pain. Healing has been a long journey. She had to relearn how to talk, walk. Dawne tried everything she could to regain her independence but faced a debilitating disability. She felt like she lost who …
On Her Own but Not Alone
When Debi Stave’s daughter recommended she look into applying for an assistance dog, Debi could not have imagined what a difference a canine companion could make in her life. Debi had never owned a dog before and is now living proof that it’s never too late to learn a new trick. She has been adjusting to life with Parkinson’s disease for the past eight years and didn’t initially think she needed a dog to help her. Debi remembers wondering, “Well what could he do for me?” Her initial doubt changed quickly, once Stanley moved in “I learned different, having him,” She …
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