Dog ‘game-changer’ for police child exploitation unit

When Winnipeg police internet child exploitation investigators searched an Osborne Village home this month, they had help from a specially trained Labrador retriever named Willow.

The investigators, armed with a search warrant Dec. 19, had received a tip from the RCMP in April about images and videos of children being sexually abused that had been uploaded online from the home in question.

Willow, who is trained to detect chemical adhesives and components used in electronics, such as laptops, cellphones, hard drives and memory cards, located two hard drives that had been hidden in the residence. They have been sent for analysis to determine whether they contain child abuse material.

An American anti-sex-trafficking non-profit, Our Rescue, donated the pooch to the police service in June after an application from Sgt. Kerrie Webb, who commands the internet child exploitation unit.

“It’s been a game-changer for us,” said Webb. “She’s amazing. I can’t imagine doing it without her anymore.”

The non-profit sources trained working dogs who are taught to detect electronics. It donates the dogs to law enforcement agencies to assist in locating items that may store images of child sex abuse. Webb said Willow serves several purposes in addition to doing detection during searches.

“She’s a fully certified comfort dog, so we actually use her to sit in with victims during statements,” said Webb.

Webb said the pooch is used to comfort children and family members who were unaware their relative had been exploiting children online or accessing child abuse material on the internet, when officers execute a warrant.

Willow provides comfort to the investigators tasked with reviewing images of child sexual abuse — which used to be referred to in law as child pornography — as part of their job.

“With what my officers are looking at on a daily basis, seeing, hearing, reading — it takes a toll. So she’s pretty amazing for our service in that sense,” said Webb.

“The detection work is obviously a major part of it, but just having her in our building — there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t hear, ‘This made my day, this is the best part of my day.’ I’m just the girl who holds the leash, everyone knows who Willow is now.”

The unit has taken Willow to execute more than 10 search warrants since the end of July, Webb said, and has used her to assist the service’s counter exploitation and organized crime units, as well as the RCMP.

In the latest case, the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S., discovered the videos and images had been uploaded online between October 2024 and February 2025, then traced the IP address to Winnipeg. The centre alerted the Mounties, who called in Winnipeg police.

A 31-year-old man, who lived at the Nassau Street North residence that was searched, has been charged with several offences related to publishing, possessing and accessing child sex abuse materials. He was released on conditions barring access to the internet and to anyone under 18.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca