You can help someone get an assistance dog

A little donation from you helps create an assistance dog for a person with disabilities!

Blue, an assistance dog, helps a Macy’s employee who has mobility problems by picking up her keys, fetching the phone and much more. (Blue even has a Macy’s name tag.) Moxi warns her human partner about low blood sugar… and even fetches juice and meds. Some assistance dogs help children with autism. Still other dogs help people with hearing or seizure issues. (Have your tissues ready when you view this video of assistance dogs and their human partners.)

You can help a person with disabilities obtain a Can Do Canines assistance dog by making a small contribution to Can Do Canines. I’ll be walking in the Can Do Canines Woofaroo Walk September 13… and you can sign up to sponsor me as a walker if you’d like. Or you can sign up to be a walker yourself. You can send a check to me (made out to Can Do Canines) or contribute online.

The Woofaroo Walk and Festival offers lots of activities for dogs and their humans, so come on over. It’s 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Can Do Canines, 9440 Science Center Drive, New Hope, MN. The one-mile walk is at 11 a.m.

Can Do Canines has provided more than 450 assistance dogs free of charge since 1989. The nonprofit places five kinds of assistance dogs—for people with diabetes, hearing, seizure, mobility and autism issues. Many of the dogs are rescued from animal shelters. All the dogs are specially trained for the unique needs of their human partners.

It takes an average of $25,000 to provide an assistance dog, including food, shelter, vet care, training, etc. Plus lots of volunteers are involved in fostering the puppies and all kinds of jobs. (I do writing, editing and PR work for Can Do Canines as a volunteer.) Prisoners provide some of the training, which is another win-win situation.

I’ve been volunteering for Can Do Canines for several months. I am wowed by the staff’s ethics and caring… and I am amazed at how they can squeeze a penny. And of course I’m in awe of the dogs and the human-dog bonds.

If you love people or dogs… or people and dogs, this is a great opportunity for you to help create a mutually beneficial dog-human partnership… you can help make the world a better place and maybe even save a life! (There are lots of amazing stories about the diabetes assist dogs saving lives!)

You can donate by sponsoring me as a walker… or signing up to be a walker through the Woofaroo website.

And if you’re seeing this info after the September 13, 2014, Woofaroo, you can make a contribution on the Can Do Canines website.

Woof-woof. (Thank you.)

Here’s also a 3-minute TV interview about Can Do Canines.