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'A very gentle soul': RPS facility dog Merlot nears retirement from career of victim support

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It’s been seven heavy years for Merlot, a Regina Police Service (RPS) facility dog. The nine-year-old Black Labrador Retriever joined RPS in 2015. Her work focuses on helping her handler, Sgt. Tia Froh, during victim interviews, meetings and court testimony.

Most times, the victims or witnesses are talking about sensitive, traumatic experiences. For many, Merlot provides a layer of comfort that Froh says leads to a better quality interview.

“For most people, if they have pets at home, they just get it,” Froh said. “Pets just bring a sense of calm and normalcy to any sort of setting.”

Merlot mainly works with youth at the Regina Children’s Justice Centre. She also helps vulnerable adults.

“The people we deal with the most, this may be their only interaction with police. Or for other people, they’ve had a ton of interactions that may not have been positive and they’re kind of hesitant to talk to the police,” Froh said.

“When they see Merlot there you can instantly see their shoulders drop, they start smiling, people start to relax.”

Interviewees can essentially choose how they interact with the dog. Froh said some pet Merlot as they give their statements, others fidget with her leash and some don’t interact with her during their interview, but turn to her afterwards for comfort.

The dog sometimes sits with people for hours at a time.

For those who work closely with Merlot, the effect she has is evident.

“When we do go to court, Merlot will accompany a lot of our victims to court when they testify,” Erica Schenk, a victim services responder at Regina Children’s Justice Centre, said.

“Merlot really reduces people’s anxiety and stress and it allows them to focus on the testimony and to give a better testimony.”

Schenk said kids are more open to going to court when they know Merlot is attending with them, and many parents who know about the dog will request her to help their children.

It’s not something any dog can do.

Merlot endured 2.5 years of training at Pacific Assistance Dog Society (PADS) in British Columbia. Froh said only about 50 per cent of dogs that take the courses end up passing.

Puppy classes, assessments, training and exams are all part of the process.

PADS trains facility dogs, service dogs, PTSD service dogs and hearing dogs.

Ultimately, Merlot was selected to be a facility dog.

“She’s great with kids, loves people and is a very gentle soul,” Froh said.

LOOKING AHEAD

With her tenth birthday a few months away, retirement is on the horizon for Merlot after a seven year career with RPS.

“Merlot is going to tell me when she’s done. I kind of foresee this probably being her last year,” Froh said. “I hope to have a successor come in.”

Froh said the police service is considering what a replacement for Merlot would look like. She said the cost wouldn’t be extremely high, but they need to find a staff member who wants to take the task on, and then match them to a dog.

That staff member would take over the Canine Assisted Response and Education (CARE) program.

“I really hope to see the program continue,” Froh said.

“I think it’s a huge asset to our department and to community members from Regina and the surrounding area.”

Between court testimony, court prep, interviews and critical incident debriefs, Merlot has helped about 1,000 people over the past year, which would average to about 7,000 people throughout her career.

To honour Merlot’s work, and to help PADS keep training dogs like her, Froh is aiming to fundraise $7,000 for the organization this summer through a Move It event.

“The dogs, at the end of their training, cost about $35,000 - $40,000,” Froh said.

During their working years, the dogs still belong to PADS and are “loaned” out for the services they provide.

“At the end of her career, that’s when I can adopt her so she would become mine,” Froh said.

Froh said there’s no question about it - she wants Merlot to retire with her so they can live out the rest of her days with frisbee, belly rubs and trips to the lake as a reward for a long, impactful career.

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