How do Assistance Dogs Help People?

A wagging tail greeting you at the door, a soft tongue giving an affectionate lick and a furry body curled up at your feet. A dog can brighten a home and bring immeasurable comfort and joy. And many days, your dog seems to know exactly what you’re thinking and feeling.

Well, the truth is, dogs can read your facial expressions. A 2018 study from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna states, “Our study demonstrates that dogs can distinguish angry and happy expressions in humans, they can tell that these two expressions have different meanings, and they can do this not only for people they know well, but even for faces they have never seen before.” In other words, your dog knows when you’re feeling happy and also when you’re upset.

It’s why your dog might lick your face when you’re crying or curl up on your lap when you’re upset. They seem to know intuitively how to comfort their humans. Dogs are so smart and in tune with their humans that they can also be trained to support them in other important ways, like becoming assistance dogs.

What is an assistance dog?

Assistance Dogs International states, “Assistance Dogs is a generic term for a guide, hearing or service dog specifically trained to do three or more tasks to mitigate the effects of an individual’s disability.” Assistance dogs are different from emotional support dogs, pet dogs or guard dogs. They receive specialty, intensive training to support people with disabilities and autism. They may be trained to seek help for a person having a seizure or to retrieve a dropped item for someone with limited mobility. 

How are assistance dogs regulated or licensed?

Assistance Dogs International (ADI) is one of the leading authorities in the assistance dog industry and was started as a coalition of nonprofit assistant dog organizations. ADI has strict standards for organizations that train assistance dogs, and to receive accreditation, an organization must adhere to these standards.

One of ADI’s accreditation standards is that “trainers have the proper education and practical experience to ensure the dogs utilized in training by a program are healthy, properly cared for and appropriate for the job they are being trained to do.”

Who can assistance dogs help?

An assistance dog might go to a family like Kristy and Alice’s. Their son, Oscar*, was diagnosed with autism when he was about 3. When he started preschool, he struggled to interact with his classmates and found the classroom environment overwhelming. His teachers weren’t sure how to manage his behaviors.

Oscar started therapy at Fraser and began Fraser School™. At Fraser School, staff helped Oscar translate his social skills into a school setting. He continued to build his coping skills and learned to understand his feelings.

Kristy and Alice also learned about a local assistance dog organization, Can Do Canines, from a mother at the school. An assistance dog sounded like a good fit for Oscar.

Pippi, the black English lab, arrived at Kristy and Alice’s house on April 1, 2021. Kristy says the dog has “the sweetest temperament” and has been great for the whole family. Before she arrived, Oscar often got overstimulated at the park and would tune out. But after Pippi started going to the park with them, she gave Oscar something to focus on and provided a grounding presence.

Pippi also helps Oscar with regulation, and he enjoys cuddling with her.

“When he’s upset and loses his words, he can talk to Pippi when he can’t talk to anyone else. He’ll call her into his room and tell her everything he’s feeling,” says Kristy. “Training Pippi has also been good for Oscar because it gives him a sense of responsibility. He walks and feeds her, and you can see it building his self-esteem.”

Who is Can Do Canines?

Can Do Canines is one of two organizations accredited by the ADI in Minnesota. Their main office is in New Hope, where typically about 30 dogs, like Pippi, are going through the final training process. However, this is just one part of the intensive, years-long process.

Can Do Canines breeds its own dogs, mostly labrador retrievers and golden retrievers. However, it occasionally trains puppies from other breeders, particularly when they need hypoallergenic assistance dogs.

What is the Prison Puppy Program?

Puppies are born at its location in New Germany, MN, where they are cared for by a full staff. When the puppies are about 5 weeks old, they are moved to one of two prisons that Can Do Canines partners with for the weaning process.

“The inmates get the dogs weaned off their mama’s milk and have them practice spending time away from siblings. They also start teaching potty training,” says Caren Hansen, Can Do Canines Marketing and Communication Manager.

This is a part of the Can Do Canine’s “Prison Puppy Program,” which includes 8 prisons in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Through the program, inmates are selected to help raise and train the dogs.

How do volunteers help prepare the dogs?

When the puppies are 10 weeks old, they return to Can Do Canines and are picked up by puppy program volunteers. The puppies receive much of their training at volunteer homes.

“The dogs are exposed to different sights and sounds and textures. A volunteer might take them on an occasional trip to Target, so they can get used to that environment,” says Caren. “When working as assistance dogs, they might accompany a child to Target to ensure they don’t wander away while their family is shopping. We also have volunteers put clothes on the dogs at a young age, so they get used to that sensation. Because as an assistance dog, they typically wear a ‘cape,’ which is the vest dogs wear to identify them as assistance dogs.”

Caren herself became involved with Can Do Canines as a volunteer. When she heard they were hiring a communications manager, she reached out. The position has been a dream job for her.

“I love helping to give voice to our client’s stories, and to see the teams that are formed between these people and these amazing dogs,” says Caren.

How does the Prison Puppy Program benefit the inmates?

Dogs remain with the volunteers for anywhere from 2 days to 2 years. Some move into different volunteer homes, and some move into one of the six prison raising programs where the dogs “receive around-the-clock attention and training.” A staff member meets regularly with the inmates to provide guidance on training the dogs.

The Prison Puppy Program does more than raise good boys and girls. It benefits the people who are incarcerated. The Can Do Canines website quotes the warden at Jackson Correctional Institution, "It gives the handlers a purpose." People who participate in the prison puppy program “often speak of increased empathy, confidence and patience.”

Who determines the assistance dog “jobs?”

When dogs are about 2 ½ years old, they return to Can Do Canines for their final training with staff trainers. During this period, it’s determined what type of assistance dog they’ll be — mobility assistance, autism assistance, hearing assistance, diabetes assistance, seizure assistance or facility dogs.

“The dogs let us know what they’re geared toward,” says Caren. “For people with diabetes, that means the dog shows a talent for smelling low blood sugar, or for a hearing dog, the dog is sensitive to sounds, so can easily alert a deaf person when the doorbell rings or a timer goes off.”

Caren says it’s also important to ensure a dog is a good match in personality and lifestyle. As part of the ADI standards, an individual receiving an assistance dog must train onsite with their dog at Can Do Canines for one week.

“Training in person allows them to meet and greet their dog with staff present. They learn how to communicate with their dog correctly, and that way, we can make sure it will be a good match,” says Caren.

If a person lives far away from New Hope, the organization allows them to stay for free in the facility’s on-site client apartment, similar to a hotel room. In fact, the entire program is free for the individuals who receive the dogs, except for a $50 application fee. The cost of raising and training dogs is covered entirely by volunteers and donations.

If the dog and individual are a match, the dog and family celebrate with a “graduation” ceremony. Then, the dog goes home to their family.

“It’s such a joy to see the transformation — when these dogs come into the individuals’ lives,” says Caren.

Even after all this rigorous training, not all dogs are a good fit to become assistance dogs. Caren says about 30% are released from the program, which they don’t consider a failure but refer to as “a career change.” These dogs are then adopted out to loving homes.

*Oscar prefers not to use his name for this story.