My Nonprofit Reviews

My seven-year-old granddaughter kept pestering me to get a hearing assist dog. Even with advanced degrees it is difficult to argue with a determined young lady convinced that your life could depend upon it. She enlisted her uncle, an avid hunter and outdoors-man, to scout out a canine assistant, and over the next year together they zeroed in on a beautiful, irresistible, intelligent litter at Royalty British Kennels. Three trips to RBK and three one-hour interviews with dedicated breeder John Pesek, bought Bentley Fox to the rescue, to at least end the proddings of Grandaughter Claire.

We didn't know at the time that we were doing everything backwards, but many queries and searching, an a suggestion from a ticket seller at the Children's Theater in Minneapolis--herself a volunteer with Can Do Canines--eventually brought us to Can Do Canines of New Hope, MN. Patient and helpful from day one, they confirmed that owner-provided dogs are rarely accepted into their program, and we already knew that was also true of other programs we had contacted.

Nevertheless the folks at Can Do Canines were of tremendous help in walking us through the normal procedures, and encouraging us to school Bentley to the point where he could be accepted into the program.

Bentley was accepted, and Elizabeth Reberk of CDC, assisted by field trainer Kelly Brunson in Dululth, patiently and expertly formed Bentley and Tim Roufs into a qualifying team.

From the very first day we walked through the CDC office in New Hope to the CDC e-mails checking in on us this week the volunteers and staff of CDC have without exception been the finest group of individuals that we have interacted with with of any charitable organization with which we have dealt in the last fifty years of our marriage. Bentley and I have attended the meetings of and appeared before the Board of Directors of CDC, we regularly travel from Duluth, to the Twin Cities for their major fund raisers, Bentley and I have become part of the CDC Northern Minnesota-Wisconsin outreach team, giving public presentations for the Cloquet community at the Cloquet Public Library, and for the staff of the Superior Animal Hospital in Superior, WI. Elizabeth Reberk has also participated in the staff training with Dr. Jenny Shamla and the staff at the Superior Animal Hospital. Bentley has also become the "spokesperson" for assist dogs at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he is by my side in my office and the classroom (pre-covid).

Over the last three years Can Do Canines has become our number-one favorite charity. They are an organization made up of staff and volunteers who without exception genuinely care about their clients. Their activities harness the energies of their staff, volunteers, and clients. Their works give meaning to the lives not only of those they help with assistance animals, but also to those--such as volunteers in the states' correctional institutions who participate in the early stages of the dogs' training.

In our particular case, HAD Bentley not only stands guard on the life of his deaf partner, but together as a team they bring peace of mind to three generations of our extended family.

And the Can Do Legacy with us continues, as contributors and supporters of their program and staff. Kelly Brunson continues her role as field trainer for other dogs for CDC, John Peshek has in recent months contributed Royalty British Kennel genetic services to the CDC litter development, Tim & Bentley regularly consult with the veterinarians at the Superior Animal Hospital, and stand by as CDC representatives to the media and citizens of northeastern Minnesota.

Can Do Canines truly is one of our stellar Nonprofits.