It’s with great sadness that we recognize the passing of Volunteer Martha Venema. Martha began volunteering with Can Do Canines in August 2019 and fostered her first dog, Xullia, with us in October 2019. When asked in the application why she wanted to volunteer, Martha replied, “I love dogs. Currently we have been without a dog for 3 years. I miss having one. I’m interested in helping out through this program to volunteer my services and love of animals. It will be exciting to see how far the dog goes and to whom the dog will eventually be fitted with. …
Can Do Canines
Volunteer Highlight: Beth Carlson
Beth Carlson just about does it all. Whelping, great starting, long-term fostering, short-term fostering, events, open houses … the list goes on. Whenever Can Do Canines has a need, Beth is there to take care of it! If you came to our Fetching Ball Gala last weekend, you probably saw Beth and her husband, Greg, there with Walker and Whim, two 9-week-old Labs that Beth helped whelp herself. Beth shared that she has enjoyed whelping the most of all her roles, “The birthing process can be stressful and things can happen, but the pluses outweigh the minuses and it’s so …
Olive Brings a New Sense of Adventure for Devin
Devin, who is in their mid-20s, sarcastically describes having “a fun mashup” of syndromes: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and post-concussive syndrome. On any given day, they might use a combination of crutches, a walker and a wheelchair. However, when they drop something, difficulties can arise. “I can’t really bend over if I’m using my crutches or my walker. So I would just be stuck there waiting for someone to come get it, or I would have to climb all the way down to the ground, get it, and then figure out a way to climb back up while …
Hard-Working Tommy has Changed Pat’s Life
Three-year-old yellow Lab Tommy was nearly offered a job while at Walmart with his human partner, Pat, when the two of them were shopping there after being certified. Pat explained that a worker saw Tommy picking up an item that Pat had dropped and said they could employ him to collect all the merchandise that falls on the floor throughout the store. Pat is not about to share her precious teammate, though. “My whole life I think has changed when he moved in or even when I knew I was going to get him,” she says. Plus, Tommy is plenty …
Hearing Assist Dog Wrigley Learns “Intelligent Disobedience”
By Mary Gunderson Roy and his wife, Paula, started financially supporting Can Do Canines more than 20 years ago with no thought of becoming an assistance dog family. About two years ago, Roy noticed his hearing wasn’t as sharp. While it’s not unusual for a person in their 60s to lose some hearing ability, Roy’s loss was steep and fast. “I became quite limited without hearing aids,” Roy says. Last summer he was faithfully reading Can Do Canines’ quarterly Tails for You. The article “What are You Waiting For?“ stopped him. “I was reminded, if you qualify for an assistance …
Katherine and Bing Cherish Their Shared Care
Katherine describes herself as having been a “very, very active person,” sometimes having biked 100 miles in a day. So learning in 2004 that she had multiple sclerosis (MS) was a blow. “It was a difficult diagnosis for me,” she recalls. Upon advice from the MS Society, Katherine applied with Can Do Canines in 2010 and was accepted as a client. She says, “I was just thrilled that they would consider me for a service dog.” That year, a black Lab named Summer became Katherine’s first Can Do Canine, and they had a wonderful 12-year partnership. After Summer passed away …
Ian and Dewey “Walk on” Toward Greater Security
Ian, Autism Assist Dog Dewey, and Ian’s mom pose for a photo. Ian lives in a full house with a busy family, which includes his parents, an older brother, a younger sister, and several family pets. Yet making room for Autism Assist Dog Dewey was no problem for this 8 year old and his family. Ian’s parents, Laura and Chadd, heard about Can Do Canines from friends whose son received an Autism Assist Dog from us not long ago. They were excited, but the moment Ian met Dewey was even more thrilling than they expected. Laura says, “I knew that …
PAW Program is the “Best Buy” in Town
“Let’s talk about what’s possible,” is the current slogan for Best Buy. So it was only fitting when Best Buy employee and long-time Can Do Canines volunteer Rebeca Sharpe approached us in Spring 2022 to talk about the possibility of a new program for fostering dogs. PAW Program participants work on loose-leash walking. Rebeca is a member of Best Buy’s disABILITIES Employee Resource Group, which was discussing having more assistance animals in training at their corporate headquarters in Richfield. She was already bringing Can Do Canine dog-in-training Waylon with her to work and recalls thinking, “What if we expand that …
Meet Client Services Coordinator Jen Gravrok
As a dog lover growing up in Minnesota, Jen Gravrok wanted to be a veterinarian. While studying at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, her fascination with animal behavior—especially dogs’— surpassed that original interest. Jen recalls that as she was completing her undergraduate degree, she wanted to learn more. “I applied to study anthrozoology (human-animal interaction) with a professor who specialized in dog-human interaction. This professor was able to get me a full scholarship to study with her in Australia, so I packed my bags and moved down under for four years while I completed my Ph.D. under her supervision.” Jen Gravrok …
Abby’s World Opens up with Sonora by her Side
Just out of college at the age of 22, Abby went to the doctor thinking she had a common illness. What she didn’t expect was receiving a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Once someone who traveled frequently and lived in Vietnam, Abby felt her world shrink significantly as she moved back in with her parents and began navigating her new reality. To complicate things more, a couple of years into her diagnosis, she developed an allergy to adhesives, which are used on more modern diabetes management devices such as wearable glucose monitors and pumps. Abby had to revert to using test …
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