NEW HOPE, Minn. — To celebrate the upcoming arrival of a new litter of puppies, nonprofit Can Do Canines held a baby shower... or "puppy" shower, for a first-time expecting mom.
Though Can Do Canines often trains shelter dogs to be assistance animals for people with disabilities, momma dog Dell is part of the Can Do Canines' breeding program. According to the nonprofit, the program helps create dogs that are "ideal for work" and have a higher success rate of becoming assistance dogs.
She's expected to give birth in early April, though it's unknown just how many pups Dell will have in her first litter.
Dell couldn't actually be at the paw-ty because she has to stay away from other animals for health reasons, but that didn't stop the Can Do Canines family, volunteers and some other very good four-legged guests from celebrating!
The father of the soon-to-arrive litter, Eieken, was there, along with six other Can Do Canines dogs that are in their final stages of training. The pups played "guess the number of puppies in the litter," handed gifts to the volunteers who will care for Dell's puppies after they're born, and indulged in some canine-friendly cupcakes.
Can Do Canines, located in New Hope, Minnesota, provides service dogs to people in need of assistance or disabilities like diabetes, seizures, autism and mobility issues free of charge. The program raises dogs from puppies, has connected more than 800 assistance dogs to clients, and even runs a training program in seven prisons in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
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