The Courage Centre in Shediac has added another four-legged member to its team.
Winston is the newest justice facility dog for New Brunswick. He was born in April 2023 and was trained by the Lions Foundation of Canada’s dog guides program.
“Their job is to provide support and calming companionship as victims of crime, children, vulnerable witnesses, have to navigate the criminal justice process,” Kristal LeBlanc, CEO of the Courage Centre, told us.
They currently have four justice facility dogs: Muriel, Jaz, Iker and Winston. Muriel is getting ready to retire so Winston will be her successor.
“In the middle of October, our program expanded across the province. Originally, we were doing mostly southeast New Brunswick, so files from the Moncton courthouse, then we were starting to do Miramichi, and there was such a need for an accredited justice facility dog program across the province,” said LeBlanc.
“So we anticipate becoming busier and busier and hopefully continuing to grow the program.”
She adds they are not therapy dogs or family pets, they are from a school and they are bred for a particular temperament.
“They look for a dog that’s very bomb-proof, that doesn’t get easily scared by things. A dog that enjoys being around people, obviously really a calm temperament, and one that can have high workability,” she says.
“So in the morning, they can do an RCMP statement, maybe they have a trial in the afternoon, and then maybe in the middle of the night, they’ll go and support a victim of sexual violence getting a forensic medical exam done at a hospital. It has to be a dog that’s highly adaptable.”
The justice facility dog program was established in 2019. To date, they’ve done more than 300 trials. LeBlanc says over 1,000 people can be impacted during any one canine’s career.
” The dogs graduate, after about under two years, sometimes at two years old, depending on the dog and need to retire between eight and nine years old. So you’re looking at five to six years of service,” LeBlanc says.
Referrals to the program are done through police, victim services at the courthouse or clients that may need time with a justice facility dog. They try their best to keep clients with the same canine for consistency.
Winston got right to work and has already been assisting clients at the courthouse.
