Welcome to Canines & Canes

Canines and Canes, LLC offers a safe, mobile solution for field-based orientation and mobility services as well as guide dog mobility services. Founder Ellie Carlson is on the road throughout the United States in her Winnebago Solis, supporting individuals who are blind, low-vision, and Deaf-Blind as well as their guide dogs using innovative no-contact and limited contact service delivery-models.

About

You cannot spell canine or cane without CAN! My name is Ellie Carlson. I am a former puppy raiser and current independent contractor dually qualified as a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist with fluency in American Sign Language. I believe that very few things in life are ever truly impossible, we just have to be patient and creative in order to accomplish them. I have been working with individuals who are blind, low vision, and Deaf-Blind for over 20 years. Empowering others to identify accommodations for the challenges they face is a passion of mine; I love to see people prove everyone including themselves wrong by turning “can’t” into “CAN!”

Zoom in on Ellie wearing an "O&M" t-shirt and khaki shorts with long blonde hair held back by sunglasses on her head is standing with male black Labrador in leather guide dog harness on leash in her left hand and long white cane in her right hand. She is smiling, facing camera with the side sliding door of a large white vehicle labeled "Winnebago Solis" immediately behind her and the Rocky Mountain foothills in distant background.

Ellie wearing an "O&M" t-shirt and khaki shorts with long blonde hair held back by sunglases on her head is standing with male black Labrador in leather guide dog harness on leash in her left hand and long white cane in her right and. She is smiling, facing camera with the side sliding door of a large white vehicle labeled "Winnebago Solis" immediately behind her and the Rocky Mountain foothills in distant background.

After working for various organizations within the field of blindness for 14 years, I formed Canines and Canes, LLC in 2014 as a way to continue providing quality services to all sections of the blind and Deaf-Blind community while better accommodating my own self-care and family’s needs. From my intention to reduce travel costs for my contract employers and increase my operating flexibility, Canines and Canes, LLC. has recently purchased a Winnebago Solis which is an incredible travel solution on so many levels. This class B recreational vehicle allows me to provide field services without incurring the great expense and risk of exposure associated with commercial airlines, rental cars, restaurant dining, and hotel accommodations.

The Solis is equipped with a bathroom, kitchenette, 2 sleeping areas, generous storage, and can accommodate up to 6 dog crates. This vehicle has been fully stocked with all the necessary equipment to work and travel self-sufficiently including disinfecting supplies, gloves, masks, first aid kits for human and canine injuries and illnesses, general guide dog equipment, a selection of white canes and tips, as well as my personal items, bedding, food, and kitchen supplies. I am well aware of the challenges of finding a qualified Guide Dog Mobility Instructor or Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist where you need them, when you need them. Canines and Canes, LLC strives to offer a solution to that challenge and turn your can’t into CAN!

Mission Statement

To increase the availability of quality orientation and mobility services as well as guide dog mobility services to individuals who are blind and Deaf-Blind.

ELLIE CARLSON, FOUNDER

Services

Guide dog applicant home interview, Juno walk

Guide dog graduate support, team problem solving

Guide dog home placement

Orientation and mobility assessment

Orientation and mobility training

Functional hearing assessment

Can the consumer reliably use hearing for travel?

Guide dog transport

Surrender/relinquish, boarding, to home training

Puppy transport

To/from puppy raiser

Puppy raiser support, individual or group

Guide dog/puppy boarding

Basic care, maintain skills, develop skills

Guide dog welfare check

Weight, health, abuse, neglect, home conditions

Basic dog grooming service

Nail trim, bath [weather permitting], clean ears and brush teeth

Mentor/supervise apprentice instructors, university students, interns

Public speaking event/presentation/information booth

- Instructional strategies for working with individuals who are Deaf-Blind
- Common posture pitfalls for cane and guide dog users and how to recover from them
- Clarifying differences between service dogs, therapy dogs, and Emotional Support Animals' training, purpose, and public access rights
- Recognizing and managing vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue for service providers working in human and animal welfare

Contact

For more information about Canines and Canes, LLC services, rates, availability, the Winnebago Solis, and Ellie Carlson’s innovative no-contact and limited-contact service strategies, please contact us.