Stray dog rescued by Mountie to help PTSD victims

Posted: 4:19 PM CDT Thursday, Mar. 21, 2019

A rescued dog from a Manitoba First Nation is finding new life as a therapy dog for first responders, much to the delight of the RCMP officer who took him in.

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A rescued dog from a Manitoba First Nation is finding new life as a therapy dog for first responders, much to the delight of the RCMP officer who took him in.

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A rescued dog from a Manitoba First Nation is finding new life as a therapy dog for first responders, much to the delight of the RCMP officer who took him in.

Const. Lesley Steinke was posted to Poplar River First Nation at the start of last year, where she started meeting stray dogs who visit the local RCMP detachment in search of food.

One dog stood out. Unlike some of the other mutts, the small husky was “gentle and submissive.”

RCMP PHOTO
A stray pup discovered on Poplar River First Nation last fall by Const. Lesley Steinke. Steinke named him Casey. He eventually found a new home in Quebec and a new purpose as a therapy dog. His new owner named him Enzo. — RCMP PHOTO A stray pup discovered on Poplar River First Nation last fall by Const. Lesley Steinke. Steinke named him Casey. He eventually found a new home in Quebec and a new purpose as a therapy dog. His new owner named him Enzo.

“He was forced away by other more aggressive dogs, and when I hadn’t seen him in a while, I went looking for him,” said Steinke in an RCMP press release.

Steinke found the dog in a nearby ditch, in poor condition. He was “emaciated,” and his back had been tagged with purple spraypaint.

The Mountie and the mutt soon formed a bond, and Steinke took him into her care and named him Casey. Despite her attachment to Casey, Steinke decided to put him up for adoption so that she could rescue other dogs.

“It was a tough decision to let Casey go, but I also trusted his journey would lead him to where he needed to be,” said Steinke.

That journey took Casey to a new job — and a new name. In November, he was adopted by a clinical psychologist from Quebec who specializes in treating post-traumatic stress disorder among first responders. The psychologist, who renamed the dog Enzo, is training him to become a certified therapy dog for first responders.

Rescued dog Enzo will be trained as a therapy dog to help first responders with PTSD. (Supplied)

Steinke, who was diagnosed with PTSD in 2014, called it “a true story of serendipity.”

“As an officer who was diagnosed with PTSD, it means more to me than you can possibly imagine that he will be a mental health champion and help members like me move through trauma (and) PTSD.”