Willow, a black lab, was supposed to be a seeing-eye dog. However, the three-year-old canine didn’t care for the harness that comes with that job, sending her down a different path.
“Repurposed her into doing a career helping kids,” Sgt. Kerrie Webb with the Winnipeg Police Service’s internet child exploitation (ICE) unit said.
Willow is now a member of the ICE, working alongside Webb, her handler.
“Every single day, she comes to work. She hangs out in our office when we are not on the road. She does search warrants with us. She’s done search warrants with other units in our service,” Webb said.
Willow is an electronic storage detection K9 and has been on the job since last June.
“She’s trained specifically to find a chemical that’s used on all electronics that contain, or have the ability to contain, data. It’s a spray that’s used to prevent them from overheating,” Webb said.
The dog can find items such as hard drives, SD cards, AirTags and more. Willow sits next to the device once she finds it.
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“Having Willow definitely makes search warrants more efficient,” Webb said. “She can pinpoint where we should be looking and now on several different warrants, she has found devices we wouldn’t have found if it wasn’t for her.”
Willow comes from Our Rescue, a United States-based non-profit that works to end human trafficking and child exploitation.
“Offenders will go to great lengths to hide or disguise electronic storage devices,” Chaz Balogh, Our Rescue electronic storage detection K9 relationship manager, said.
OUR Rescue provides police agencies around the world with electronic storage detection dogs, like Willow. The organization funds the dog and covers ongoing costs while the K9s are working.
“We literally try to do everything we can to make sure that agency is going to be successful,” Balogh said.
Willow is the only electronic storage detection dog in Manitoba. Maintaining her skills is a 24/7 commitment.
“Our dogs are all food-driven, which means the handler has to feed this dog twice a day by hand to give them their daily food allowance. If they’re not on a search warrant, that’s how they have to feed their dogs,” Balogh said.
On top of having an incredible nose, Willow is also trained as a service dog. She provides a helping paw when needed.
“She sits in with victims when they’re giving statements,” Webb said. “Just as importantly, she’s just with us in the office. My team has a difficult job — it’s a dark job. Just having her around lightens the mood and just brings comfort and wellness to all of us.”
As Willow wraps up her rookie year on the force, Webb is in awe of the amazing efforts from her furry partner.
“I can’t say enough good things about having her.”
A dog with a job and a big heart.
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