Doctor and Nurse Save Drug-Detection Dog in Rural Ontario

When Radar collapsed from blood loss after a dog bite on June 19, his owners feared they'd run out of time. The three-year-old Belgian Malinois, who sniffs out drugs in remote First Nations communities across northern Ontario, needed emergency care fast.

Owner Randy Cota called veterinary clinics across the region. None could help.

Desperate, Cota posted a plea on Facebook. Someone suggested calling Lady Minto Hospital in Cochrane, where physician Susan Parsons answered the call.

"Susan said, 'Well, I have a friend here who has animals, and she might be able to help you,'" recalled registered nurse Judy Ives, who received the call while working her shift. Raised on a farm with 41 years of nursing experience, Ives gathered supplies and headed straight to Cota's home.

Radar had already lost dangerous amounts of blood. Cota, a former paramedic and retired OPP sergeant, had applied pressure bandages, but the wounds needed immediate attention.

Ives cleaned and dressed the wounds using supplies she kept for treating animal injuries. "It was like a little emergency room," said Cota.

Two days later, Parsons and Ives returned to check on their patient. Radar was on the mend.

For Cota and his wife Betty Sue Crawford, the intervention meant saving more than a beloved dog. The couple owns Creegonquin, an Indigenous-owned K9 security company based in Moosonee, where Radar serves as one of their primary detection dogs.

"If you've got a Percocet in your shoe, he will find it," said Cota. Radar works in remote First Nations communities, searching airports and mail shipments for illicit drugs that fuel addiction crises in isolated areas.

Born in Mexico, trained in the United States, and previously deployed with New York State Police, Radar had just completed a 22-day drug detection deployment when the injury occurred.

Sunny's Take

When Cota tried to pay Parsons and Ives for their life-saving work, both refused. "I stood there with cash money and said, 'Please take this,'" he recalled. They accepted only a thank-you basket.

For Ives, the decision was simple. "If you can help somebody, just help somebody," she said. "Don't expect anything in return."

The Belgian Malinois, known for bonding closely with handlers, seemed to understand who had saved him. "After I helped fix him up, he came right up to me and put his head on my lap," Ives said.

Radar returned to protecting northern communities within a week.