You can have a hand in raising a four-legged hero. Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota needs kind, responsible families to raise their special puppies until they reach 18 months. At that age the pup is taken to be trained as a service dog for a physically disabled person. Foster families play an important role by taking the puppy to obedience class and socializing it in public. Contact Laurie Carlson (lcarlson@hsdm.org) for details.

—Jenny Friedman

Minneapolis mother Jenny Friedman offers our weekly tips on how to give back as a family. Friedman is author of "The Busy Family's Guide to Volunteering" and founder of Doing Good Together, a non profit orgazation that works with groups and individuals on how to involve children and teens in social action, volunteering and charitable giving at www.doinggoodtogether.org.

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