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 …
Mobility Assistance Dog
Energy Conservation is Priority for Amy and Skilled Home Companion Jackson
Amy has had multiple sclerosis since 2007, and in the past few years, her disability has become more progressive. “I get lightheaded sometimes when I bend to pick up things off the floor,” she explains. She also has difficult walking more than a few steps unassisted, and it’s not uncommon for her to fall or slip to the floor. “I did my best to keep my cell phone handy,” says Amy. While Amy was working with her occupational therapist in 2021, the therapist suggested that she consider an assistance dog. Amy remembers thinking, “I wonder what a dog could do …
A Diva with a Goofy Side
By Mike Branch – Jeff describes his Mobility Assist Dog, Wendy, as “a diva with a goofy side.” She also likes attention, is eager to please, and wants to work. Jeff suffers from painful back problems, making it difficult to bend down and get up again without being in pain. He started experiencing back problems in his 30s after he fell on the ice. Arthritis has weakened his grip, and the pain from his back injury makes it difficult to pick things up off the ground. The pain has made life harder as he gets older. At age 51, even …
An Instant Connection
By Susan Byers – It’s easy to understand why Kaiya had an instant connection with her 3-year-old Mobility and Seizure Assist Dog, Fargo. Both have a strong work ethic, a steady demeanor, and a creative spirit. As an artist, Kaiya uses a steady hand to create intricate body art with henna. As a hard-working yellow Labrador Retriever, Fargo is always close at hand to support Kaiya in countless—and often playful—ways. Kaiya has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that affects blood pressure, heart rate, and electrolyte balance. Kaiya’s symptoms include dizziness upon rising or …
Ursa Becomes Jasmine’s “POT” of Gold
Jasmine was healthy and active growing up and throughout her teenage years. She says, “I hiked through the mountains of Honduras barefoot because my flip-flops broke, jumped into a waterfall and all these things. Nothing really stopped me, and yet POTS did.” People with POTS, or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, might experience lightheadedness, faintness or a rapid heartbeat when changing body positions. Jasmine explains, “It seems like such a minor movement to reach down and get a pen, but … my body has to make up for that change in blood pressure and doesn’t do a good job.” Before she …
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 …
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 …
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 …