Can Do Canines
American non-profit organization
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Can Do Canines is a nonprofit organization based in New Hope, Minnesota.[1][2] It trains and places assistance dogs with people with disabilities without any cost.[3][4]
History
Can Do Canines was founded in 1987 by Alan M. Peters.[5][6] Alan served as the executive director of the organization until his retirement in 2020.[7] He was succeeded by Jeff Johnson who serves as the current executive director.[8][9] The organization trains and places six types of assistance dogs including mobility assistance dogs, hearing dogs, seizure response dogs, diabetes alert dogs, autism assistance dogs and facility dogs.[10] These dogs are trained to assist in various day-to-day routine tasks and medical situations for the people with disabilities.[11]
Many dogs are raised by volunteer puppy raisers including prisoners before beginning formal training with professional staff.[12][13] According to the organization it costs about $45,000 to train each dog, but each is provided at no cost to clients.[14]