People Living with Disabilities
Over half a million people are living with disabilities in Indiana – many of them children. Service dogs trained with specific skills and behaviors often provide people and their families with the independence, confidence and quality of life they deserve.
Assistants in Day-to-Day Activities
ICAN dogs serve our clients with disabilities every day by performing the tasks necessary to maintain independence and quality of life. From opening and closing doors, to providing that unconditional love that only dogs can give, ICAN dogs are a vital part to our clients' every day lives. Some of the ways our dogs serve our clients include:
- Retrieving dropped items or unreachable items
- Transporting items from one person to another
- Opening/closing doors and cabinets
- Pulling up covers, pulling down covers
- Turning on/off light switches
- Tugging off clothes
- Moving clothes from the dryer to a basket
- Interupting a nightmare of a Veteran with PTSD
- Alerting a Veteran with PTSD of increasing anxiety and applying deep pressure to help them relax
The Gift of Love
By working with a dog's innate temperament and eagerness to be with people, ICAN is able to provide service dogs that enjoy the work they do and whose talents best match a client's needs.
- Providing an emotional outlet
- Giving unconditional love
- Creating a bridge to connect the non-disabled world with that of the disabled
For each client, the benefits of having a service dog vary. Every dog in the ICAN program shows ICAN staff their strengths, their motivations, and their limitations, which allows us to train the dog in the type of service work best suited to the dog's personality and temperament.
Learn more about how to apply.
Photos by Liz Kaye Photography
