Rassbach Museum to welcome four-legged visitors

Volunteers with service dogs in training will soon explore the galleries of the Dunn County Historical Society’s Rassbach Heritage Museum as part of their dogs’ preparation. On March 29, 2025 from 1 to 2:30 p.m., the museum will host a “pack outing” to provide the canines an experience they might have assisting a future client. 

The outing will also provide other museum visitors an opportunity to observe and learn more about how service dogs can transform the lives of the people they’re matched with. 

The volunteers are associated with Can Do Canines, a Minnesota based non-profit organization that trains dogs to assist clients who live with disabilities involving mobility challenges, hearing loss or deafness, seizure disorders, autism or diabetes. They also train ‘facility dogs’ to be placed in locations such as hospitals or with a community service provider.
 

Volunteers in Wisconsin and Minnesota host dogs in their homes while the dogs are getting trained on the important tasks that they will assist clients with.

“We take them out in public and work on skills that they might need as an assistance dog one day,” said Erin Whitfield, volunteer and ‘pack leader. “Taking a dog out in public can be more stressful for dogs than it seems. The world is full of sights, sounds and smells that we take for granted, but that our dogs pick up on. We, the volunteers, have to become tuned in to our dogs. We have to start noticing small changes in them and then figuring out how best to train them in each situation.” 

Whitfield noted that taking dogs to various public spaces exposes them to different stimuli. “When they are positively exposed to many different things, it should be easier for both the dog and the client down the road,” she said. “We don't know what the lifestyle of each client will look like, so we want to prepare the dogs for many different situations.” 
 

Whitfield has volunteered for seven and a half years and has worked with about 115 dogs in training. 
 

“The Rassbach Museum welcomes the opportunity to work with other non-profits and service organizations,” said Melissa Kneeland, executive director of the historical society. “This event is a first for us, and we’re excited to play a small role in such important work.” 

An information table will be available in the museum lobby to help visitors learn more about Can Do Canines and service dog etiquette. Visitors can also talk to the volunteers to learn more about their work and opportunities to volunteer. A ‘career-changed’ dog will be on hand for museum visitors who would like to be able to pet a dog.

Can Do Canines is one of the largest assistance dog organizations in the country and relies on volunteers to help raise and train dogs in their homes, helping them learn basic obedience and social skills.