When he first joined the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment nobody could have imagined the impact their only four-legged member would have in both the community and to those in the detachment. Now, nine months into his new job, Odie the Victim Services Unit facility dog has expanded his role to help even more.
The three year old yellow lab joined the detachment last June after being trained by Dogs with Wings out of Edmonton. At just eight weeks old, Odie was placed into a home with a “puppy raiser”. After successfully completing the puppy program, he moved on to intensive adult training where the trainers determine which group the dogs fit into: autism, guide, service or therapy. Following his training, Odie was matched up with the Victim Services Unit at the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment.
Odie's primary handler Debbie Winstone said he is a perfect fit for the job.
“I always say it's hard to explain what he does because he just picks up on emotions. I've seen him in a group setting where there's a few people sitting around a table and he'll just pick out one person and just go and stay with that person.”
Cst. Kyle Smeltzer saw one of the first interactions between Odie and a member of the public. Shortly after Odie's arrival at the detachment, Smeltzer had the opportunity to introduce him to a young girl who came to the detachment with her mother.
“She was about four years old and she was shy, hiding behind her mom. I thought this would really be a great time for her to meet Odie, so I asked if she liked dogs and she kind of sheepishly said she did,” said Smeltzer. “Deb brought Odie into the front area and (the little girl) almost instantaneously opened right up. She came to pet the dog, she told me her name and I couldn't even get her name out of her before...it was very interesting to see, it was like a switch flipped as soon as Odie came.”
Another member of the Bonnyville RCMP who got to see Odie at work was Cst. Sean Milne, who mostly uses Odie when interviewing child victims of sexual abuse.
“It can be quite intimidating and uncomfortable for a young child to have to tell their stories to a police officer they never met before the investigation started. Odie's presence gives me an opportunity to build a rapport with them and provides a comforting presence that helps them relax and tell their story.”
Since joining the Bonnyville detachment, Odie's job has included providing support in the witness room, participating in school presentations and helping children in the court system by going with them on the witness stand. With the great success Odie's had in those roles, his job has now expanded to include serious incident debriefing, grief support and visits to long-term care facilities.
“We run a grief support group and it's starting again next week. He's just in there and he'll wander around the room and he'll go to one person, or they can call him, and they'll just open up,” recalls Winstone.
She added, “It's quite funny, I'll watch him and he'll pick someone and go and sit beside them. They won't be talking and the next thing you know they're kind of just stroking his head and they open up.”
While Odie provides immense support to members of the public, the members of the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment also find comfort in Odie's presence. Winstone said the whole atmosphere of the detachment has changed since Odie joined. When officers have to respond to tough calls, they will come to the Victim Services office after to see Odie.
“Whether it's stuff at home or stuff that's happened at work, sometimes all you need is for Odie to come in...it's very good for our office, as police officers sometimes we need to step back and relax,” said Smeltzer.
Winstone added that Odie has become the family dog for not only herself, but for everyone in the detachment. She said since his arrival last June he has been warmly welcomed by everyone in the community and as time goes on more and more detachments are requesting to use Odie. While Odie's work in the court system is primarily with children, Winstone said their goal is to see him support adults on the witness stand.
