GOODRICH, Mich. (WXYZ) — Hunter Solmen is a 29-year-old man from Oxford. He is autistic and non-verbal.
His mom, Keli Solmen, and brother, Forrester Solmen, told 7 News Detroit that for Hunter's entire life, he has been obsessed with the movie Homeward Bound, dreaming about owning his own Golden Retriever like the one named Shadow in the movie.
When Hunter was a teenager, Keli learned that a Golden Retriever therapy dog would be extremely beneficial for Hunter, there was just one problem..
As a single mom, she told us that the cost of the dogs was just too much, "The agencies that I called were minimum $15,000 - $20,000."
However, as Hunter has grown older, Keli said the need for a therapy dog has become more apparent. She shared that Hunter has eloped or suddenly run away multiple times in the last few years.
So, with the need for help increasingly apparent, Keli, Forrester, and Hunter started collecting cans to raise the money to get Hunter a service dog.
They call it Cans For A Cause.
"Instead of just asking for help, we kind of wanted to find a way to earn it," said Forrester.
Forrester said that Hunter finds purpose in the work, and once they started, the stars began to align. We met with them Friday at The Ugly Dog Daycare and Training in Goodrich. There, we met a golden retriever puppy donated to them in 2024. The puppy is now being trained at the facility to be Hunter's service dog.
EXTENDED INTERVIEW: Dog trainer talks about training Shadow for Hunter
Keli shed a tear, telling us, "I just never thought it was attainable."
The Solmens are paying the training facility month-to-month for their services using money raised through Cans For A Cause. Keli said that the hope is that one day the dog will always be with Hunter and will have a tracking device on her. So if, and when, Hunter elopes, they'll know where he is.
The family has collected thousands of cans and said that they have $5,000 left to raise.
The puppy is on track to graduate in May. She is visibly attached to Hunter. He's named her Shadow.
"When you think about it," said Keli. "That’s exactly what we want her to be, is his shadow."
