A paw to lean on

A woman paces in the foyer of a provincial administrative building on York Avenue, her sniffles echo against the high ceilings. Her face is red and blotchy with anxiety.

Glossy exits the elevator and spots the woman. She tugs on her handler’s leash to signal she needs to comfort the woman, to curl up at her feet and provide emotional support.

Carla Deeley, the black Labrador retriever’s handler, tugs back to indicate she’s not on the clock and to keep moving. Glossy hesitates, then follows Deeley as they exit to the street, where they head one block over to Manitoba Victims Services at the Woodsworth Building on Broadway.

Glossy’s inclination to comfort those in distress comes by way of her line of work. Her primary job is to provide support to clients of child victim support services, including abuse victims and exploited youth.

“She’s calm, attentive and is good at providing that secure feeling,” Deeley said.

Three-year-old Glossy and Deeley are inseparable most days. The pair can be found at meetings with families and clients or supporting someone as they watch a video statement as part of a court proceeding.

Glossy can often be spotted at the Manitoba Law Courts Building at a sentencing hearing or sitting as support next to a witness as they testify.

“I can’t really imagine going to work without her,” Deeley, a victim service worker, said about her canine co-worker.

She’s also trained to work with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and vulnerable adults. When there’s time, she’ll help with other types of justice cases.

Glossy came to work for the department one year ago after training with Pacific Assistance Dogs Society, where she was bred and primed to be a support animal. After 15 to 18 months with the society, support animals receive advanced training with a professional trainer for six months. Then, they’re considered ready for the workforce.

Deeley and another part-time handler were also mandated to go to B.C. for training to work with Glossy before working to bond with the animal, which can take additional months.

“And lots of treats,” she joked.

Glossy is the successor to Milan, the department’s first support animal who was on duty from 2016 to 2021.

“We’re together pretty much all the time,” Deeley said. “It took some getting used to having something attached to you all day, but now it’s weird if she’s not with me.”

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe says he could envision the department training more support animals to increase service and reduce reliance on Glossy.

Any type of interaction with the justice system is bound to create a level of anxiety that could be difficult to manage, which is why Glossy is an “invaluable” team member, Wiebe said.

“Having a dog who understands the dynamics … this is such a big, big help,” Wiebe said. “People are stressed and they’re feeling out of sorts, and then to have this kind of beautiful animal is just great.”

Part of Deeley’s job is scheduling Glossy’s visits so she isn’t overwhelmed. Dogs can get burned out, too, she says.

“One thing we think about quite a bit is what fills her cup, what takes it out and how to manage that,” Deeley said.

On her down time, Glossy can be found running on the grounds of the legislature, catching a ball, playing with other dogs and sniffing and decompressing after a day of emotional support.

Finally, when Deeley goes home for the day, so does Glossy. The black lab lives with Deeley, her family and Deeley’s senior dog, Jenny.

Although Deeley makes it clear their relationship is strictly professional, after Glossy retires in six or seven years she will likely be adopted into the Deeley family as a pet, as is tradition for most support animals and their handlers.

Deeley quietly waits for the day they can connect as family, and not colleagues.

“It’s a really beautiful bond we have, it’s really special,” she said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca

Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer

Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole.

Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.

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