A close-up look at the service dogs who make life better in Saskatchewan

Man’s best friend is proving to be a true lifeline. All across Saskatchewan, service dogs are providing essential, life-changing support every day.

Man’s best friend is more than a furry companion — many Canadians rely on service dogs everyday to live happy and healthy lives. Global News met with four of these incredible dogs to learn more about the work they do to improve the lives of people around them.

First up is Taffy, the newest member of the Saskatoon Police Service. Taffy is a three-year-old Golden Retriever who works with the Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) to find electronic devices during warrant searches.

“The introduction of Taffy as a resource for investigators greatly increases our ability to locate these and hold offenders accountable,” says Staff Sargent Tim Failler. “Taffy is one of eight dog teams in Canada. And the first in Saskatchewan trained in this work.”

Taffy is also trained as a therapy dog, helping aid and comfort police officers and victims of crime.

Over at Medavie, Betty and Misty, a pair of black Labradors, provide comfort to paramedics on the frontline.

“They are really just here in the office for, you know, to bring comfort and joy to either frontline paramedics or our shared services staff or admin staff,” says Angela Serda, senior manager at Medavie Mobile Integrated Health.

But service dogs aren’t only for professionals. Ollie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, helps his owner, war veteran Kevin Hicks, cope with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Hicks says that without Ollie he was unable to leave his house alone. Now he works at the Saskatoon Museum of Military Artifacts, with Ollie by his side.