As Stephanie opens up her assistance dog scrapbook, the year written on page 1 is 1993. That’s when Stephanie first began her relationship with Can Do Canines—an organization she says, “is very close to my heart.” Stephanie was about 40 years old at the time and was struggling with degenerative hearing loss. Her audiologist suggested what was then called The Hearing Dog Program of Minnesota (as we only provided hearing dogs at that time), and she remembers, “I think the application was just a few lines on the back of a brochure.” The application fee then: $10. Stephanie was looking …
Service Dog
Once Active Service Member is Now Active Service Dog Advocate
Kim served in the Army for 44 years. While much of that time was in the Reserves, a combined 10 years was in active duty, including being a part of Special Operations in the Vietnam War. Kim came out of that experience with long-term effects. He says, “Due to my exposure to Agent Orange, I’ve had a cerebral hemorrhage and two strokes. I’ve had to have surgery on my neck and spine due to other injuries. And so, it limits me bending over and moving. I have a hand that doesn’t work too well due to the strokes. My mobility …
Kristi’s Role Takes Multiple Forms
A few years ago, Kristi DeRop was watching a morning news program when a story about Can Do Canines came on, highlighting the need for volunteer puppy raisers. She remembers thinking, “WOW … I can play with puppies AND help others, where do I sign up?” We’re glad Kristi did sign up because since then, she has signed up to help in numerous, repeated ways. Kristi with Can Do Canine Gouda She and her husband eased in by hosting dogs for prison breaks from the Waseca prison, which, at that time, involved a Thursday through Monday morning commitment. Meeting several of …
Courtney is Happy as a Lark with her Assistance Dog
By Mike Branch – As an infant, Courtney experienced numerous ear infections and lost most of her hearing at a very early age. Today, babies are tested for hearing in the first few months of life, but when Courtney was a baby, that wasn’t the case. Her hearing loss wasn’t fully discovered until she started school. As she grew older, it became more difficult for her to participate in class and engage with others. Fast forward to today. Courtney is a Registered Nurse living near Madison, WI. She works with patients, doctors, and others in a professional setting. Outside of …
The Impact of an Ordinary Day
By Beth Billstrom – It was an ordinary day. Mark was in his car waiting at a stoplight. He was on his way to pick up his daughter from daycare. Without any warning, a fully loaded construction truck traveling 60 miles an hour plowed into the back of Mark’s vehicle. The impact of the hit sent Mark’s car crashing into the vehicle in front of him. That day changed Mark’s life forever. Due to the accident, Mark’s head is now permanently tilted backward, unable to move in any direction. The medical community refers to his condition as severe dystonia or …
Open House: August 20, 2024
We will be hosting an open house on Tuesday, August 20, from 6-8 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 August 20. You will be asked to share some contact information at our registration table upon arrival. To request a sign language interpreter for the Open House, please contact Laurie at lcarlson@candocanines.org or call 763-331-3000 at least two weeks in advance. We’ll do …
Alex has his own Marvelous Superhero
Marvel Entertainment features some amazing superheroes: Captain America, Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow are just a few. Eleven-year-old Alex, who has autism, has an equally amazing superhero in his life–Autism Assist Dog Marvel! Alex’s mom, Thomera, describes her son as “smart, kind, and funny.” He enjoys Legos, video games, soccer, and playing Star Wars. But, describing the challenges of having a child with autism, she notes, “Every day is a struggle. Structure is important, and deviation from the plan can cause a meltdown. Textures, food, and fabric can be hard. Sounds, lights, and over-stimulation can cause dysregulation.” For …
Mobility Assist Dog Gina is More than Ruth Ever Expected
“I could do anything,” Ruth says of her seemingly normal life before 2020. Then, a minor injury changed everything. While working with a child with disabilities with their wheelchair, Ruth sprained her left thumb. Strangely, the pain and symptoms didn’t stay contained to her thumb. “My hand blew up the size of a football,” recalls Ruth. Within about a month, a simple sprained thumb turned into something nobody expected as Ruth was diagnosed with the rare condition complex regional pain syndrome. She cites that the pain moved into her arms and then her legs, and she has even experienced strokes …
From Graduate to Advocate
One of the requirements when clients are first matched with one of our dogs is to get the dog licensed in their city if their city requires it. When Bethany, who lives in Wisconsin, visited her City Hall for this task in Spring 2023, she was surprised to learn that only a few types of assistance dogs were eligible for free licensing in the state. Her new Seizure Assist Dog, Qantas, did not qualify. Frustrated and wanting to advocate for all with disabilities, Bethany asked what could be done. She was eventually advised to contact her state legislator. “And so,” …
A Returned Sense of Security
By Debbie Surman – Barry’s parents learned he was deaf when he was 18 months old. Then, when he was 7, they also learned he had “optic atrophy,” which, ultimately left him legally blind. This combination is called DeafBlind. Although Barry uses hearing aids, high-pitched sounds like doorbells, sirens, phones, etc. are difficult to hear. Plus, optic atrophy causes blurred vision and blind spots, making it difficult for him to see distances or in darkness, and he can easily miss seeing flashing lights. For 13 years, he successfully navigated the challenges with the assistance of his first beloved hearing dog, …
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