Paws 4 Valour offers special kind of support

Veteran Joel Langley is raising awareness about a dog-training program in Westman that supports members of the Canadian Armed Forces, veterans, RCMP and emergency first responders struggling with mental-health issues.

Langley and his wife, Shauna, co-founded the non-profit Paws 4 Valour in May 2025 to help people experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression cope by bonding with their dog and others.

The six-week dog-training and peer-support program is offered at no cost to participants and is designed to reduce the stigma around mental health.

“I want to make sure people understand that you’re not alone,” said Langley, who lives in Minnedosa and is originally from London, Ont.

He said when people join the army, navy and air force or work as a first responder, they start out as a cucumber, but as they experience traumatic situations or combat on the frontlines, they become a pickle.

“You can never become a cucumber again, so you just got to learn how to live like a pickle,” Langley said.

The program helps people regain confidence and gives them a reason to get involved with the community, work alongside others and deepen the therapeutic connection with their dog.

Langley said it doesn’t matter what workforce background people are coming from because when they walk into the program room, there’s a mutual understanding between everyone.

“You don’t have to relive the trauma — nothing — but everybody seems to be supportive of one another,” he said.

Langley joined the army in 1986 and later transitioned to the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he became a chief warrant officer before retiring in 2022.

He said a lot of stress built up during his deployments in places that included the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, South America, Germany and the U.S.

“It got to the point after, you know, 36 years of service, I was burnt out — just done,” Langley said.

“And then compounded with some of the stuff that I’ve been through in my deployments in Afghanistan, Yugoslavia and a few other things — because there weren’t some nice things that happened over there — I kind of hit rock bottom.”

Langley said he felt isolated when he settled down in Minnedosa and reached out to the local legion for help.

During that time, he gravitated toward spending time with his beloved dog, Harley, who instinctively knew when he was at his lowest and provided him with the emotional support he needed to keep going.

When Harley crossed the rainbow bridge in February 2025, it was clear to Langley that dogs play an invaluable role in healing, routine and connection.

A few months later, Paws 4 Valour was established with the encouragement of his wife.

He started working with PATDogs, a Brandon-based therapy dog group, and Project Resilience 911, a peer support group for first responders, to get the idea off the ground.

“After the loss of my dog, it was very devastating, and it was hard to come back out of that shell,” Langley said.

That is, until he welcomed his second dog, Bandit, into his life.

Bandit is a 10-month-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle mix that’s gone through the program and will become a certified therapy dog once he turns one year old, Langley said.

Bandit will be able to visit patients in hospitals and personal care homes.

One of Langley’s goals for operating Paws 4 Valour was to make it accessible for people.

“For veterans that need a therapy dog or a service dog, it can take up to three years, and for a service dog, it’s up to $35,000,” he said.

Paws 4 Valour is volunteer-run through a spring and fall session, with the next program starting at the end of April.

The upcoming session had an “overwhelming response,” but the trainers can only take on six people at a time because they need a lot of hands-on assistance, Langley said, adding that there are about 28 people waitlisted.

People can sign up through the website and must be approved before joining.

The first three, hour-long sessions take place at The Paw Resort & Wellness Centre with professional trainers.

“We socialize the dogs there, so teach them how to interact with other dogs and other people,” he said.

Once the dogs learn those basic training skills, they complete the remaining three sessions at the Brandon legion, where they learn to do tricks. Afterwards, the participants and their dogs can go mingle in the lounge.

Langley said people who’ve taken the program become good friends and continue to rely on each other for support. The program helps restore a loss of identity and makes people feel like they’re part of a team, he said.

Many past participants want to continue training their dog, which prompted Paws 4 Valour to develop a specialized agility and trick training program so dogs can enhance their skills.

Langley said the non-profit plans to unveil the advanced tier of the program in September.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com