CAN DO CANINES. This non-profit works with local prisons to train assistance pups for folks with disabilities who need them – free of charge.

If you ask Dyan Larson how to make a difference in someone’s life, she’ll have just one word for you: dogs. 

Larson works as a trainer for Can Do Canines, a local non-profit organization dedicated to training assistance dogs in partnership with seven local prisons, including the Stanley Correctional Institution, the Jackson Correctional Institution in Black River Falls, and the Chippewa Valley Correctional Treatment Facility in Chippewa Falls.

Two inmates are assigned per pup, which inmates live with and train in general skills for a year in hopes they become a hearing, mobility, seizure, diabetes, or autism assistance dog. The dogs have the opportunity to choose their favored tasks – or if they’d like to be an assistance dog – which leads them to their refined training for a more specific purpose.

After graduating from their training programs, the dogs are matched with people with disabilities free of charge. Without the program, a trained assistance dog costs about $25,000. 

“You can see how the dogs are improving them as people,” Larson said. “It’s literally making them better people.” 

Larson, who has worked as a dog trainer and pet photographer for more than 30 years, has been working with the prison programs for the past five years. She oversees the inmates’ training, which she says are not like ordinary training sessions.

When she instructs an inmate to train the dog to sit, she jokes that the dogs come back able to sit, roll over, play dead, fold laundry, and do the dishes. In return, the prisoners learn patience, communication skills, and – perhaps most importantly – empathy. 

According to Larson, it’s common for prison staff to report a calmer climate in prison as a result of the program. Each inmate in the program does the equivalent of thousands of dollars’ worth of training, which Larson says is an opportunity for inmates to give back to the community that they’ve taken from.

“It's such a rewarding thing to be part of,” she said. “My whole entire job is giving back.”

Last year, Can Do Canines prison programs trained 216 dogs. 

If you’re interested in giving back to the community (and working with adorable dogs!), you can volunteer at Can Do Canines at www.can-do-canines.org.

*As a result of an editorial error, the print article was not wholly accurate in its representation of Can Do Canines, as each assistant dog costs $25,000 (not $2,500) to train, but are provided free of charge to people with disabilities. Can Do Canines trains dogs to assist in five ways: hearing loss, mobility challenges, seizure disorders, Type 1 diabetes, and childhood autism.

Here's a handful of other sweet photos, courtesy of Dyan Larson Photography.