Mulder and Athena are Medicine Hat Police Service's two facility dogs. (Photo Courtesy Chris Brown)

By Chris Brown

MHPS Facility Dogs

Garage sale this weekend to help Mulder and Athena

Sep 28, 2022 | 4:12 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Mulder and Athena have impacted countless lives through Medicine Hat Police Service’s Facility Dog Program.

This weekend you can help ensure they can continue to help members of our community in difficult times.

“Mulder and Athena play a critical role, they are a part of our family crime unit,” says handler Sherry Kuss. “So we see them as partners and they assist children who have to talk about some really hard things, when there’s been some form of abuse happen to them, and they support the children through that process and the families. And they go right from the beginning, from talking about what’s happened to them and if there is things that occur in the criminal justice system they will go through the whole process with them as their support.”

Kuss says Mulder and Athena will even go with them to court and sit next to the kids when they testify.

She says the connection Mulder and Athena make with those they help lasts long after the court visits.

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“We are seeing the value of it more and more as we go along. Children will often, and families sometimes, they’ll call back and they won’t even want to speak to the person they’ve spoken to they’ll ask specifically to speak to Mulder or Athena because that’s their comfort,” Kuss says. “When children have to talk about some really hard things these dogs are right here with them and they’re just a form of support and comfort in a physical way and they just kind of get right in there to help them.”

A garage sale is taking place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the former SportChek building on Carry Drive, next to the AHS diagnostic lab. Funds raised will help cover the costs of food, vet bills, materials for Mulder ties and Athena scarves that children make, and support items for the children. The items for sale have been donated to the cause.

“There’s no set prices to it, they can come and give whatever they feel is appropriate for the Paws For Strength Foundation,” Kuss says.