Health Canada funds training program for service dogs for veterans with PTSD

Advertisement

Advertise with us

OTTAWA - Health Canada is funding special schooling for service-dog trainers to teach the animals to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/11/2021 (1767 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA – Health Canada is funding special schooling for service-dog trainers to teach the animals to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The online training course, funded by the department’s Substance Use and Addictions Program, is designed to help trainers prepare service dogs for veterans, including those recovering from substance abuse.

Colleen Dell, an expert in animal-assisted interventions at the University of Saskatchewan, headed the team that designed the toolkit and her research has found that service dogs can significantly help veterans with PTSD.

Blackie, a five-year-old police service dog, gets cuddles at the RCMP Police Dog Services training centre in Innisfail, Alta., Wednesday, July 15, 2015.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Blackie, a five-year-old police service dog, gets cuddles at the RCMP Police Dog Services training centre in Innisfail, Alta., Wednesday, July 15, 2015.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

She says there are over 500 service dogs currently used by veterans in Canada, with more in training.

The dogs are trained to comfort veterans, provide company and support, and wake them up from nightmares.

The online course will be made available to around 40 service-dog training organizations that also train dogs to assist people who are blind, deaf and have other disabilities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2021.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

DAZN hires former Bombers QB Streveler as CFL, NFL analyst

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

DAZN hires former Bombers QB Streveler as CFL, NFL analyst

Taylor Allen 6 minute read 5:53 PM CDT

As soon as Chris Streveler tore his ACL, he basically knew his gridiron career was over.

Last October, when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosted the Montreal Alouettes in the regular-season finale, the quarterback went down with a non-contact injury just minutes into the game.

Streveler had torn three of the four major ligaments in that same left knee during the 2024 Banjo Bowl and worked tirelessly to make it back for the 2025 season.

This time, however, a path to a return wasn’t going to be viable.

Read
5:53 PM CDT

‘We feel lucky — and a bit traumatized’: Tornado confirmed in River Heights Sunday

Malak Abas 6 minute read Preview

‘We feel lucky — and a bit traumatized’: Tornado confirmed in River Heights Sunday

Malak Abas 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:10 PM CDT

Tanner Lemieux wasn’t surprised to learn the violent winds that tore through River Heights and reached their peak near his home Sunday night have been classified as a tornado.

While driving back to his Lindsay Street home from a shopping trip with his wife Sunday, it became clear they were not in the middle of an ordinary thunderstorm when rain and wind started coming from every direction and hit every side of their truck.

The forceful wind made it impossible for him to open his door after they had parked. He climbed through the window, over the top of his vehicle, and the couple struggled to fight the whipping winds to make it into the house.

“As we were running in, the wind started pulling me backwards out of the door,” he told the Free Press while cleaning debris from his yard Thursday.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 6:10 PM CDT

Banjo Bowl a big deal for new and returning faces

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Banjo Bowl a big deal for new and returning faces

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read 6:16 PM CDT

Kenneth Womack never doubted this day would come.

For all of the twists and turns along this journey, Womack believed in himself and the work he’s been putting in on the road to becoming a professional football player.

So, as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver gets set to make his CFL on Saturday afternoon against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Banjo Bowl, you can be sure he’s going to take a moment to savour the experience while doing his best to make it feel like any other game he’s played previously.

“Once I run out the tunnel, it’s all going to sink in,” Womack said after Friday’s walkthrough.

Read
6:16 PM CDT

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Preview

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

MOON ALERT: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The new moon is in Virgo.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Discussions with partners and close friends will intensify in the next few weeks and financial discussions will favour you. In fact, money might come your way. The new moon is perfect for making resolutions to improve your health.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Read
Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

Closure of Nomads field massive upset for North End

Joshua Frey-Sam 5 minute read Preview

Closure of Nomads field massive upset for North End

Joshua Frey-Sam 5 minute read Updated: 8:49 AM CDT

The North Winnipeg Nomads have a flag on the field.

The long-standing minor football club was recently informed that its field is unfit to host games and that it would need to find a new home for its five youth and adult teams until repairs are made to the playing surface.

“Our board has made every effort to address the condition of our home field,” the club wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, following a professional assessment, the field has been determined to be unsafe and unstable for our athletes.”

All five of the club’s teams will play their 2026 season at Frank Whyte Field, part of the Northwood Community Centre, with no confirmed date for when they can play on their home field again.

Read
Updated: 8:49 AM CDT

Highway-safety upgrades in progress after tragic Interlake crash

Chris Kitching 5 minute read Preview

Highway-safety upgrades in progress after tragic Interlake crash

Chris Kitching 5 minute read Updated: 6:25 PM CDT

Provincial workers have started to update or install safety measures at a rural Interlake intersection where four teenage friends died in a crash on Labour Day weekend.

Pavement markings were repainted at Highway 8 and Provincial Road 229, just west of Winnipeg Beach, ahead of work to refresh worn-down rumble strips, starting Monday, and install flashing lights atop two stop signs, following an assessment earlier this week.

“They will also need to incorporate any information from the RCMP report that might be helpful if we were to consider any additional safety measures at this intersection,” Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said of department staff.

“The most important thing is safety, and any kinds of changes we make at any intersection actually have to make it safer.”

Read
Updated: 6:25 PM CDT