Trauma from dog bites puts spotlight on Saskatoon police's policy on using dogs in arrests

Warning: This story contains a photo of serious injuries from a dog bite.

Colleen Dell has seen the scars police dogs can leave, even long after any physical wounds have healed.

Dell is a tenured sociology professor at the University of Saskatchewan who uses dogs as therapy animals for people struggling with mental health, addictions and well-being.

She remembers being surprised when one patient, who had previously been injured by a police dog, recoiled from the therapy dog she had brought in.

"I was like, 'oh, I never thought that.' It's just not something that was kind of in my purview," Dell said.

The Saskatoon Police Service's (SPS's) 2023 annual report on use of force said officers used police dogs 30 times in 2022. It did not have details of injuries the dogs caused.

The Regina Police Service does track how often its dogs injure people. Regina police reported 162 uses of dogs from 2018 to 2022, an average of 32.4 per year. Of those 162 incidents, 157 ended with injuries to suspects.

SPS is currently under investigation by the province's police oversight agency after a suspect was seriously injured by a police dog in September. In the wake of that incident, CBC requested a copy of SPS's police dog policy.

CBC has now received that document via a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPP) request. It's about eight and a half pages long, with one and a half of them being redacted. SPS says the policy is updated yearly and that police dogs are an important part of the work they do.

Dell agrees that canines "have a really important working role at the police." But she has also had to work with some people to push through the trauma inflicted on them by the dogs. Watching people connect with animals that had once been a source of terror for them is a rewarding experience for her.

"I was just like, 'oh my gosh,' to be so afraid in the beginning because of that experience that you've had and now to be able to turn that around," said Dell.

September incident

A lawyer says Saskatoon's policy gives police too much leeway on how they use dogs. 

"I think [police] have to take a good hard look at how [dogs] are being used in apprehending suspects, and if it's causing more harm than good to the person who's being attacked," said Eleanore Sunchild, a lawyer who has given some unofficial counsel to the person injured in the September incident that's under investigation.

That incident began when officers saw a car driving erratically, according to a police news release. When they tried to pull the car over, the driver sped away and eventually crashed into a ball diamond bench, police say.

Edward Soonias, 32, got out of the car and fled to a nearby alley. Officers used a dog to track him.

Soonias told CBC his side of the story earlier this year.

"All I heard was them say, 'Right there,' and that was it. I could hear the footsteps coming closer, I could hear them coming closer for a while, they were walking around in that area, that's when they threw the dog over," he said.

He said the dog then began tearing chunks off his arm.

Soonias was arrested and charged with evading police and dangerous driving.

SPS officers have faced charges for use of police dogs before. Last year, two officers were charged with aggravated assault following investigations into separate incidents from 2019 and 2020 by the Public Complaints Commission — which handled complaints against police before SIRT was created.

In both cases, suspects had to be taken to hospital after being injured by police dogs. Charges against the officers were stayed in July and September of this year. 

What does the policy say?

SPS's dog policy looks at general practices, tracking, explosive detection and more.

A section labelled "building and area searches" states that before searching an area, a dog handler must "loudly announce and repeat the statement that there are police officers on the premises and that a trained police service dog will be released."

It then stipulates the dog will not be released until the suspect is given "a reasonable amount of time" to respond. If the person still does not surrender, then the dog will be released.

The policy lays out several circumstances where the handler does not need to give the warning before releasing the dog:

• It would increase the danger to the dog handler.
• It would encourage a suspect to attempt an escape.
• It would allow the suspect time to prepare for an encounter with the police service dog.

Another section of the policy states, "when apprehending suspects in these or related circumstances, the Police Service Dog is commanded to disengage as soon as the suspect is subdued or readily complies with the dog handler's direction."

Soonias told CBC the dog chewed on his arm for 30 to 45 seconds. He said he was not resisting and begged the officers to get the dog off of him.

Under "use of force," the dog policy details other instances when it is acceptable to use a dog, including:

• The suspect refusing to stop when ordered.
• The suspect is resisting arrest.
• The dog handler being assaulted.

SPS said it cannot comment on the specifics of Soonias's case due to the ongoing investigation.

Healing from trauma

Sunchild said Soonias is still healing from the trauma of the arrest.

The Saskatoon lawyer says that police dogs are useful in a variety of circumstances like detecting drugs and explosives, helping with missing persons and cadaver searchers. But she questions their use in arrests, saying the policy leaves too many loopholes for officers.

"It gives the police a lot of discretion, maybe too much discretion, when using force with respect to the dog," said Sunchild.

"There is no reason why an individual should have severe injuries from a dog."

Sunchild said she's seen many cases involving suspects being "torn up" by police dogs during her time as a lawyer.

She said she believes Soonias's case could merit civil action.

'So many variables' when deploying dogs: SPS

When asked if SPS would consider stopping using dogs for arrests, SPS special teams Insp. Erin Coates said "not at this time, nope. They are well trained and a non-lethal use of force option."

She said the police department reviews its police dog policy annually.

"We update it yearly based on best practices," Coates said. "We review it and tweak it on an as-needed basis."

She added that "best practices" includes aligning with provincial policy and relying on accredited trainers for "best training."

Coates said there are "so many variables that are taken into consideration when they're deploying their dog."

"Every single circumstance is so unique, and that's why our officers have that discretion," she said.

Sunchild said police have enough other ways to find and arrest suspects that there's no need to sic a dog on them.

"They have vehicles, they have legs," said Sunchild.