Dog Initiatives

Quickly learn about evidence developed from our office on the supportive role of animals in people's health, including substance use. 

1. Importance to  health
2. Human animal bond
3. Coping 
4. Decreasing pain
5. Relationship formation
6. Being animal-informed
7. Mattering
8. Calming the  environment
9. Supporting recovery
10. Connection

This toolkit was developed in 2022 to inform service dog trainers about recovery from substance use harms and the important role of peer support and connection for the wellness of  dog handlers diagnosed with PTSD/ posttraumatic stress disorder, with a focus on Veterans. The toolkit includes:

• a free, 3-hour online certificate course and 
• access to substance use recovery and peer support resources.

The goal of this visiting therapy dog program is to offer participants feelings of comfort/love and support on the USask campus. The program was initiated in 2015 by Dr. Colleen Dell in collaboration with campus Peer Health and St. John Ambulance. During the COVID-19 pandemic the program moved to on-line visiting and offering in-person support at vaccination clinics.

In partnership with the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, this initiative aims to raise awareness among service providers about the potential beneficial role of companion animals, in particular dogs, in their clients' substance use health. One of these supports is a dog's ability to counteract the harmful effects of stigma. 

The PAWS in Places campaign is sharing evidenced-based knowledge to raise awareness about the potential benefits of pets in the workplace, rental housing and others establishments. This is a collaborative effort of Dr. Dell's office of One Health and  Wellness, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, and Royal Canin, a division of MARS Petcare.

Our Saskatoon Pet Friendly Rental Guide will be of interest to tenants (know your rights, obligations, and being a responsible pet caretaker) and property owner (increase your income potential). 

This is a reflexive education based program involving instructors, dog handlers, and prisoners in the area of addictions. The program was initiated by Drs. Colleen Dell and Darlene Chalmers in 2016 at Drumheller Prison in Alberta. The program is offered on a smaller scale at the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon and with the Dedicated Substance Use Treatment Unit at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre. In collaboration with clinicians, integration of the dogs into some select AAT sessions have also been offered and some AAA sessions have been delivered in SK. 

Dr. Dell  and her office work closely with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program doing research, including a study on therapy dogs visiting patients in a hospital Emergency Department. Dr. Dell is a Therapy Dog handler. Are you interested in becoming a Therapy Dog team?  If yes, watch the test and training video to learn more. 

In partnership with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program (SK), Dr. Dell's office also developed a full day online training course for therapy dog handlers and released it on Nov 3, 2022 on global One Health Day!

 Dr. Dell is working on exploratory patient-oriented projects in the area of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with Dr. Erica Penz, a member of the Saskatchewan Respiratory Research Centre. They are exploring the benefits of therapy and companion animals in the health and well-being of patients diagnosed with COPD. Based on what they have learned to date, they are teaming up with the community to develop and evaluate a therapy dog intervention for COPD patients.