Dozens of Yellowknife dogs and their owners took part in the Heroes Run on Saturday, a fundraiser for a charity that supports retired police and military service dogs.
“It’s such an amazing community and it’s such a dog community. I thought if anybody would want to be doing this, this is the place to do it,” said Dawn Meisner, who was organizing the run for the first time.
The Yellowknife event, hosted by private canine detection firm North of 60 K-9 Detection Services, was one of a handful taking place across the country.
Meisner said 34 people registered to take part in the event, which supports the charity Ned’s Wish.
“The funds all go to help support the retired police and military canines. They have very physically demanding jobs and when their career ends, so does the funding for their medical needs,” Meisner said.
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“This helps the adoptive families to not have to worry about the financial costs associated with a dog that was a super athlete.
“That way, the dogs get the best possible retirement care and they don’t have to worry so much about adopting a dog that may have higher needs for funding for medical care, because Ned’s Wish helps to bridge that gap.”
The event featured multiple dogs with experience of active service, including RCMP dog Rain alongside Kola, who retired in May after serving in the North for most of his career.
Kola’s post-career family pointed out that means years spent on duty in the North’s particularly harsh terrain and conditions, looking for missing people and apprehending criminals among other tasks.
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Other dogs on the run had a sniff of the working life before deciding it wasn’t for them.
“I’m here with Coco, my dog, who started her career in the British Army but she chased birds on her exams, so she got to come and live as a family pet in Canada,” said Alicia Adlam.
“It’s pretty amazing that they’re putting on this event in Yellowknife, and pretty amazing that Coco can participate.
“We do keep her active because she needs a lot of stimulation, so we do agility in the summer and give her lots of opportunities to sniff and be active. She’s a cocker spaniel, so it’s a very active breed.”
Vanessa Rolph said she adopted her dog, Nova, from Innisfail, Alberta after Nova “didn’t make it through the canine school.”
“Ned’s Wish is an awesome thing. When RCMP members and military members retire, they have health benefits. These guys, the canines, they don’t have health benefits,” Rolph said.
“A lot of times, some issues come up after that, and we all know how costly vets are. This helps the canines get the care they need.”
Kate Hillman-Barnes, who owns two dogs, said the run was a “worthy cause” to support on a Saturday morning.
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“I think our canine unit is probably undersold,” she said.
“They help us out in various things, they save our lives along the way. I just think it’s kind-of nice to give back to them for their service.”
Correction: October 4, 2025 – 15:30 MT. This article initially named Rain’s handler as Terence Dunphy. In fact, Tyler Dunphy is pictured.
