Cherie, a retired special education teacher, made a career of helping others. She even served on a national board and local committees for children with emotional disturbance. However, since 2010, chronic pain from a degenerative joint disease has been debilitating for Cherie. In 2017, she was diagnosed with non-common hydrocephalus. She has a shunt in her scalp to manage the fluid build-up, but a fall that knocks it would be fatal. Cherie has been on the floor for hours at a time because she was physically unable to get up. She’s learned to stay safe by staying close to home …
Service Dog
Volunteer Spotlight: Sophie Weigel
Sophie Weigel moved to Minnesota from Iowa five years ago, right after college. She says, “I wanted to get involved in the community somehow. I went online to VolunteerMatch and saw that Can Do Canines had an event coming up and went to the website to check it out. I was in love with the mission right away!” For five years, Sophie served on the planning committees for the Fetching Ball Gala and the Can Do Woofaroo. Throughout the year, she plans and carries out these very important fundraising events as part of a group of other dedicated event volunteers. …
A New Partner with a Ripple Effect
At 18 years old, Amy was partially diagnosed with a mixed connective tissue disease; her symptoms of rash, joint pain and foot drop mimicked several other conditions. Two years later, she started having facial muscle spasms that became more severe. She would have daily episodes that looked like a grand mal seizure, and spasming on her mother’s bedroom floor was a frightfully common scene. Pain, cold or loud noises mean an exaggerated startle for Amy, and her disorder causes her body to have involuntary muscle spasms in response. Treatments have focused on managing her multiple symptoms, and she’s had to …
A Quiet Friend to Help Jackson Find His Voice
It takes a very special dog to see someone who is upset and calmly enter their space of distress to comfort them. Children with autism, like Jackson, need these dogs to help them handle the overabundance of stimulation that surrounds them. In 2014, Jackson was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder after his parents and doctors became concerned that he wasn’t exhibiting the same behaviors as other toddlers. As he spent more time in social settings, it became apparent he would require specialized support to keep him safe and happy. Jackson would often run away from people or act impulsively, not …
A Bigger Dog Comes With a Bigger Heart
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 …
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 …
A New Companion Brings Hope to Teenage Years
As Sandy was approaching her teen years, she never thought she’d end up withdrawing from the world just when her friends were exploring it more. Four years ago, Sandy started becoming dizzy and unable to hear as much as she normally could. She was diagnosed with vestibular migraines though the cause is still a medical mystery. Sandy’s visual processing was impacted so she is easily overwhelmed by lights and movement. Her migraines are triggered by sounds, lights, vibrations, stress, fatigue, and basic stimuli she encounters on a regular basis. Vertigo, instability, and a heightened sensitivity to motions around her are …
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 …