A Chilliwack police officer whose career as a dog handler was cut short when he was hit by a car is raising money and awareness for retired service dogs.

const. Aaron Courtney said there was a “huge void” in his life following the hit-and-run he suffered in March 2019 in Burnaby.

He was on duty and standing on a sidewalk while training his dog Kato when a car hit him and another officer and then fled. Both officers were taken to Royal Columbian Hospital and the suspect vehicle was found abandoned several blocks away.

“It was our last dog day for us,” Courtney said.

He has worked for the Abbotsford Police Department for 19 years and has been a dog handler and trainer for about 16 of those years. He is currently back with APD doing light work, but said his mental health was affected following the incident.

“(Being a dog handler) isn’t really a job, it’s a way of life because you bring it home with you,” he said. “It is unlike any other job in the police. It’s not like bringing your cell phone home, it’s totally different. You have these dogs with you, they are part of your family.

When he realized that his career as a dog handler was in danger, he wondered how he could continue to deal with police dogs.

Courtney and her partner Sgt. Jason Martens and their wives launched Support Retired Legends in 2020 in honor of retired canine heroes. It’s a business where they sell clothes and coffee with a portion of the proceeds going to Ned’s Wish, a Canadian charity that provides financial support to help pay medical bills for retired police and military dogs.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but the majority of police dogs in Canada don’t receive pensions or medical assistance when they retire,” Courtney said.

Dogs receive top notch care while working, but as soon as they retire they are handed over to whoever takes them (usually the dog handler) and the owner is then responsible for all medical bills.

The problem is that the dog will be denied some insurance coverage due to pre-existing injuries or the cost of insurance is just too high because it’s an older dog with “lots of mileage,” a said Courtney.

“The short answer is that it’s not profitable.”

He said it’s not fair that owners have to cancel trips or take out a loan to pay the retired dog’s medical bills.

“If there are people with these retired heroes who want to access funds so they don’t have to make these decisions, we take the decisions away from them,” Courtney said. “We give them help because they are doing these dogs a favor.”

It takes about two years for a dog to become a fully trained police dog. They work for about seven years and retire around the age of eight or nine. Over the course of their career, they save people, including children, find evidence, and save thousands or millions of dollars in investigative time.

When the dogs track someone during a break and enter, “they have pieced together that file for the investigator,” Courtney said.

“I think they don’t get the recognition they deserve for what they actually do and how well they do. And they don’t ask for anything. Dogs just do it for love, a ball, a treat.

Since late 2020, Courtney and Martens have been raising money for Ned’s Wish — which is basically a bank account for retired service dogs — through the sale of their Support Retired Legends apparel and K9 Coffee.

const. Aaron Courtney, with his partner Sgt. Jason Martens and their wives started Support Retired Legends, a business that raises money for a charity called Ned’s Wish, which provides financial support to help pay medical bills for retired service dogs. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

Their organic coffee is roasted in the Lower Mainland and there are many details in the coffee packaging in honor of the dogs. The bags are black and tan, representing the coat colors of a German Shepherd, the name of each coffee blend has a dog-related meaning, and the photos on the packaging are all of retired dogs.

Each sachet contains 365 grams of coffee. Why such a random number?

“Every day of the year they are ready to work,” Courtney said.

He and Martens will have a pop-up shop this weekend where people can try the coffee and shop for merchandise like shirts, hoodies, hats and more at Winks (45657 Stevenson Rd.) on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 11 a.m. a.m. to 2 p.m. also plan to have retired dog Dezi at the event.

Support Retired Legends was launched to fulfill two main purposes: to educate people about police dogs and their lack of pensions; and to raise funds for Ned’s Wish.

But there has been another benefit to supporting retired legends.

“I feel like I’m helping and contributing something and staying involved in a program that was more or less stolen from me by the accident,” Courtney said. “On a personal level, it has been mentally and physically healing for me.”

In addition to the Saturday pop-up event, people can find Support Retired Legends apparel and K9 coffee at two Chilliwack businesses: Joint Force Tactical and Fergie’s Doggie Delight Pet Bakery. Or go online to supportretiredlegends.com for more information.

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