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 …
MS
English Teacher Learns a New Language
Learning principles can transcend communication barriers, and Kathy Weihe especially appreciates this as a retired English teacher. After spending her career helping others understand their new native language, it was not unfamiliar to work with a partner whose first language was a foreign one, such as her new canine companion. During her teaching career, Kathy started to notice that holding papers as well as getting up from kneeling became more challenging. Ultimately the sudden fatigue she would encounter caused an earlier retirement than originally planned. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and continued to see more ways that the condition …
Bonding with Oakley
James Pick & Mobility Assistance Dog Oakley Brainerd, Minn. resident James Pick has a new roommate: Mobility Assist Dog Oakley. James is living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease which attacks the central nervous system. “Because of my MS I have problems with balance and I fatigue easily,” says James. Without family close by James and his loved ones were living with a lot of worries; with Oakley around James has an assistant to help him with tasks as well as providing greater peace of mind for both himself and his family. Mobility Assistance Dog Oakley is a gorgeous …
Wynning Hope
Roger Tottingham & Mobility Assistance Dog Wynn Roger Tottingham, a retired Navy veteran lives in Oronoco, Minn. with his wife Linda. Roger has had multiple sclerosis for 42 years and he uses an electric wheelchair as a tool for mobility. Keeping his independence is one of Roger’s biggest hopes and one of the very reasons why he decided to apply for an assistance dog from Can Do Canines. Beautiful, loyal, well-mannered and energetic are a few words that describe Wynn, Roger’s two-year-old black Labrador. She was placed with Roger as his Mobility Assist Dog and she’s known at Can Do …