Golden Labrador Minnie joins Calgary Emergency Management as first support dog

Calgary's Emergency Management Agency has added Minnie, a two-year-old golden Labrador retriever, to its response team in partnership with Dogs with Wings society.

Minnie has completed more than two years of specialized training to provide comfort and reduce anxiety during emergencies. She will work in reception centres with evacuees and provide stress relief for emergency operations staff working long hours, as well as members of Canada Task Force 2 returning from crisis deployments.

CEMA Chief Sue Henry said Minnie is trained to provide quiet physical contact—resting her face in someone's hand, sitting close by, or using other grounding behaviours that offer reassurance during disasters.

"She's trained to provide quiet physical contact, such as resting her face in someone's hand, sitting close by, or using other grounding behaviours," Henry said.

Chihiro Webb, a representative from Dogs with Wings, said Minnie brings a practical tool to emergency response. "Minnie can't change the emergency, but she can change the way somebody experiences it," Webb said.

Henry noted that Minnie has already made an impact. "She's supported some of our 911 emergency communications officers when they've taken a difficult call," she said. CEMA had previously relied on assistance dogs from partner agencies like the Calgary Police Service before acquiring Minnie.

"I'm incredibly passionate about the mental health of our staff. We're seeing an incredible response from our staff members that are interacting with her, and really appreciating how she's able to calm and ground everything," Henry said.

Webb said Minnie strikes the right balance for the role. "She strikes a beautiful balance between calm, kind, empathetic, very cuddly, but also very driven," Webb said. Dogs with Wings is marking its 30th anniversary this year.