Eyes that would 'melt your soul': Hawk, the trailblazing Calgary police trauma dog, dies at 14

Ten years after he became the first dog in Canada to support a victim during their testimony in court, Calgary Police Service's Hawk has died.

Hawk, a 14-year-old Labrador retriever, passed away peacefully on Thursday.

"He had those eyes that had the ability to melt your soul," said Hawk's handler, Const. Darryl Jones. "He's always been an old soul."

The trailblazing service dog joined the police force in September 2013.

Hawk, who graduated from specialized training by the Pacific Assistance Dog Society (PADS), was CPS's first dog on the victim assistance support team (VAST).

At the time, he was only the third trauma dog of his kind in Canada. 

The next year, Hawk became the first dog in the country to sit with a victim as they testified in court. 

In October 2014, prosecutor Rose Greenwood made an application to expand legislation that allowed for a "support person" to accompany a victim.

• Hawk, Calgary police dog, to help child witnesses in sex abuse case

Justice Bruce Millar granted the application, opening the door for hundreds of other dogs across the country to be permitted to provide emotional support to vulnerable people, often children, as they gave testimony in the courtroom.

At Greenwood's trial, Hawk was allowed to sit with two children as they testified: a seven-year-old girl who had been sexually abused by her father and her nine-year-old brother, who was a witness in the trial. 

"There was an immediate trust there," said Greenwood. 

"We were hoping that this becomes the norm, and a decade later, it is. The norm is to have children with court support dogs whenever they have to testify in criminal trials."

Jones says Hawk's calm, laid-back and "just-go-with-the-flow" personality made him a great fit for supporting people who'd been through trauma. 

"He just really loved human contact and liked to be around people, and that in itself, for people going through a difficult time, was very comforting and reassuring and just allowed them to have that non-judgmental support from a dog," said Jones. 

Hawk worked with CPS for eight years before he hung up his collar to enjoy retirement in June 2021 and continued to live with Jones.

Nose Hill Park was the dog's favourite spot. 

"We kind of joked and used to call it Hawk Park because he would just love going there."

'Amazing intuition'

In his retirement announcement, CPS called the courts' allowance of the support dog as a trial resource "one of the greatest achievements of Hawk's career."

There are now three CPS VAST dogs who provide support to witnesses at more than 50 trials each year.

Hawk also worked to provide comfort to victims outside of the courthouse, in one instance, providing comfort to witnesses in the Brentwood stabbing case.

Sgt. Brent Hutt, Hawk's first handler, said the dog had "amazing intuition" and was known to "walk into a room, bypass people that he knows … and go to the victim and curl up with [them]."

'We thank you for your service'

CPS said in a statement on Friday that "Hawk touched the lives of countless Calgarians with his unwavering compassion & unshakeable dedication to serving others."

"Our brave & compassionate companion, we thank you for your service, for the lives you positively impacted & for the legacy you leave behind."

Jones who now handles Webber, another black lab with CPS's VAST, says he loves his job.

"I'm in my 26th year with the Calgary police service right now and I've had a lot of great partners over the years but I can honestly say Hawk and Webber have been my best partners."