Put your paws together for our newest client pairings: Kelly & ICAN Royal Royal will work at Richard Ira Jones Middle School in Plainfield, IL. She will help students with daily lessons, problem-solving, and reading. Royal will also spend time in a special needs classroom, helping to calm students’ anxiety and interrupt unwanted behaviors. Shelly & ICAN Penny Penny will work at Abe Lincoln Elementary School in Indianapolis. She will provide classroom support to students, including participation in one/one and group lessons, emotional and social learning, and reading. She will al ..read more

Patricia “Peachy” Hall dedicated over 45 years of her life to serving others and making a difference in her community.   Initially, she worked as an occupational therapist in a hospital and later transitioned to working in a school where she helped children with autism.   After retiring in 2015, Peachy continued her life’s mission of making a difference, this time as a volunteer through the Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN).   Peachy’s son, Doug Samuels said, “My mom was extremely dedicated to everything that she did. She always had a smile on her face and t ..read more

ICAN is an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI). As an accredited member, we undergo an accreditation assessment every five years to demonstrate compliance with ADI’s rigorous standards. These accreditation assessments evaluate:  ✓administration and program operations   ✓fair and ethical treatment of clients   ✓humane training methods for the dogs   ✓proper health care for the dogs   ✓safety and cleanliness of the training facility   ✓criteria for matching dogs and clients   ✓procedures for training dogs withi ..read more

Yearly Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) Puppy Love Valentines are a longstanding tradition among many families, friends, and coworkers. Among those are the mother-daughter duo Angela Wethington and Roni Bird, who will celebrate eight years of exchanging puppy love this month. However, their yearly tradition began unexpectedly. Angie, the daughter, first received an ICAN Puppy Love Valentine from a colleague. She enjoyed the delivery so much that she decided to send one to her mother, Roni, the following year. Little did they know that they both had the same idea. The same year, Roni saw ..read more

Indiana Canine Assistant Network is proud to announce four new board members to our pack, including: Deb Becker Eli Lilly and Company Vice President Human Resources-Immunology BU & EnAble US ChairJoseph Gianoli, CFPKey Bank Senior Vice President & Senior Portfolio StrategistLori VanEvery Veterans Affairs Hospital Indianapolis, Chief, Neurology ServiceCorey Franklin Allison Transmission Supervisor, Factory Controls Engineering The post New Board Members in 2024 appeared first on ICAN - Indiana Canine Assistant Network ..read more

In 2021, Indiana University freshman Sidney May was exploring the student involvement fair and looking for ways to make friends and to become more connected to campus. It was during the fair that she looked down to find an Indiana Canine Assistant Dog (ICAN) dog lying at her feet.   This encounter sparked Sidney’s interest and led her to join the ICAN at IU club. Soon after  becoming a dedicated member, in the spring of her freshman year, Sidney furloughed her first in-training dog, Docket.    That experience was a bit of a challenge since I lived in a small dorm with a roo ..read more

The Indiana Canine Assistant Network at Indiana University Bloomington (ICAN at IU) is a student-led organization founded in 2017 by ICAN Volunteer & Education Manager, Julie Mathias, that extends ICAN’s mission into southern Indiana and gives college students the opportunity to fundraise, educate and volunteer with the nonprofit. Since its launch seven years ago, the organization has welcomed students with various majors and interests. And while their goals may differ, they’re brought together through one commonality: ICAN’s mission of unleashing abilities for Indiana children, adults, an ..read more

In 2017, Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) volunteer Nick Meyer started his freshman year a Indiana University Bloomington. That same year, he attended the very first ICAN at IU meeting with some friends from his dorm. ICAN at IU is a student-led organization at IU that extends ICAN’s mission into southern Indiana and gives college students the opportunity to fundraise, educate, and volunteer with the nonprofit. Little did he know that this decision to attend the inaugural ICAN at IU meeting would shape his college years and lead to a genuine passion for working with service dogs. While ..read more

At Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, a four-legged hero named CC brings hope, healing, and compassion to victims of child abuse, alongside his client, Cortney Demetris, the medical director of Child Abuse Pediatrics.   CC, an Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) facility dog, helps young patients process the trauma they have experienced from both physical and sexual abuse; something Cortney has seen firsthand for years.   That’s because before applying for an ICAN dog, Cortney’s clinic was part of a therapy dog program where she witnessed the significant impact dogs had on ..read more

In 2011, Emily Hunt found herself navigating busy college life at Ball State University (BSU). It was during these years that she first noticed an Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) dog on campus. The vest caught her eye, and she took note of the nonprofit’s name.   And while she decided to wait to apply for a dog of her own until after graduating college, she never stopped thinking about how much a service dog could help her. That’s because Emily is living with a spinal chord injury that has paralyzed her from the chest down. And due to her diagnosis, she needs extra support to ..read more