As the saying goes, a dog is a man’s best friend, but for a German professor at IU, her service dog, Oliver, is her saving grace. 

Susanne Even has multiple sclerosis, a progressive disease, affecting your central nervous system which disables proper communication from the brain to the rest of the body. There is no cure. For Even, this translates to decreased mobility and difficulties balancing on her own. 

This is where Oliver comes in to help.

Even was paired with Oliver in 2019 through the Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN), the only accredited service dog training program in the state. 

A dog’s journey in the program starts in Indiana prisons where inmates become the dog’s active trainers to teach them commands and prepare them to serve people with disabilities. The dogs are then sent to students at IU who are involved in the ICAN branch at IU. The students act as furloughs for the dogs for several weeks, socializing them by bringing them everywhere they go. Classrooms, buses, basketball games, tailgates, student buildings and more are all considered places of training for the dogs. 

“It’s very cool to see this dog that I spent so much of my time investing in and grew to love and stuff is now going to forever change this person’s life,” said ICAN at IU president Hannah Walker. 

 Now, having had Oliver for 3 years, Even says it’s hard to imagine life without him. The comfort and confidence that Oliver gives Even has changed her life forever. 

“They told us at ICAN you’re going to develop a companionship, you’re going to be a team, but it’s going to develop more and more over the years. When you start you have no idea what it means but it does. It always evolves. You think it’s so good that it can not get any better and then…it does.”

Oliver is able to carry bags, pick up objects, find Even’s phone, push her laundry basket, obey verbal commands and can calmly stroll beside her walker.

Other than the physical acts of service Oliver was trained to do, Even says the best service Oliver gives her is an emotional one. Since getting involved with ICAN and meeting Oliver, Even has found a sanctuary among other people with service dogs and disabilities. Oliver has opened a whole new community for Even and has made her feel normal, she said.   

“It’s not that I got a companion that unconditionally loves me, which is also very true, but the whole experience of having a service dog, of getting a service dog and being in contact with other people that have service dogs, opened my eyes to much more than my own disability.”