Sault police deploys plush canine unit
The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is deploying a new type of canine unit to help comfort children who might be dealing with a stressful situation.
The Sault Police Services Board has teamed up with PUC Services Inc. to purchase plush canines. The toys are modelled after real members of the Sault police canine unit – Hektor, Red and Ben.
“Obviously, police go to a lot of traumatic calls, and sometimes, unfortunately, youth are involved, specifically young children,” said police spokesman Lincoln Louttit.
“If this is something we can give them to help heal and help them recover, then I think it’s a positive thing we can do for the community.”
“One of our guiding pillars that we have is when it comes to approving donation requests is healthy, safe and active lifestyles for children,” said PUC Services spokesman Jairus Patterson.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“We know these dogs are given to children who at times are probably dealing with a pretty traumatic situation. So, if they can just hold it and feel a little bit safer in that situation, why would we not do it?”
Police said studies have shown stuffed animals can help kids cope with trauma, stress, fear and physical pain by providing emotional and physical comfort.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Flammable kids' sleepwear, salmonella-contaminated chips: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued recalls for various items this week, including kids' bassinets, chips, and stoves. Here's what to watch out for.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
'How do you get hypothermia in a prison?' Records show hospitalizations among Virginia inmates
The Virginia State Police investigator seemed puzzled about what the inmate was describing: "unbearable" conditions at a prison so cold that toilet water would freeze over and inmates were repeatedly treated for hypothermia.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.