A new toolkit will help Alberta SPCA peace officers aid not only animals in distress, but also their owners, through University of Alberta research.
The initiative helps the officers recognize cases where mental well-being may be a concern, and gives them resources they can offer people for support.
"The project adds a human focus layer to complement what the officers already do well," says Rebecca Purc-Stephenson, a psychology professor at Augustana Campus who co-led the collaboration between the university and the Alberta SPCA.
Under the Animal Protection Act, the officers are responsible for responding to animal welfare concerns of farm and companion animals across the province, outside of Edmonton and Calgary. While they're experts in assessing situations for those animals, there was a gap in training and resources available to also help owners in crisis, says Melissa Logan, Alberta SPCA director of education and strategic initiatives.
"Our officers are often called to very remote, sometimes very isolated locations, and have noticed that more and more, they're dealing with someone who seems to be overwhelmed or appears to have mental health concerns, and is also struggling to care for these animals.
"There was a challenge in knowing how to engage with and support these folks."
To meet that need, Purc-Stephenson and the Alberta SPCA teamed up to create tools driven by the on-the-ground experiences of officers themselves. The pilot project was guided by the World Health Organization's One Health approach, which recognizes that a person's health has an impact on animal welfare and the environment.
"We wanted to look at the issue from a holistic view," Logan notes. "If people are struggling and not getting the support they need, then their capacity to care for their animals is reduced. In order to improve the welfare of animals, we also need to take into account the well-being of people."
The project team gathered in-depth information from Alberta SPCA peace officers and other municipal peace officers, as well as a group of farmers and AgWellAB mental health care providers.
Through that input, the team developed training modules for the officers, giving them a deeper understanding of farm culture, its unique stressors and mental health literacy.
Using case studies, the training will show them how to use a checklist of wellness and safety indicators created through the project.
"It will help our officers identify emerging risks - early warning signs - and then connect folks with resources before things escalate to a more serious problem," Logan notes.
The toolkit offers a contact list of support organizations officers can leave with an individual, including for financial or mental health counselling, such as the National Farmer Crisis Line, community resources and agricultural experts.
Intended to encourage problem-solving that can benefit both owners and their animals, "it should help reduce feelings of isolation by showing that support is available and they're not facing the situation alone," Purc-Stephenson says.
And being able to offer a pathway to that kind of help on the spot reduces uncertainty for the officers and "provides options beyond enforcement," she notes.
"Our peace officers are not mental health providers, but as a point of contact for these folks, it's empowering for them just being able to recognize certain signs, know how to engage and provide those resources in these situations," Logan adds.
The research collaboration with the U of A was particularly valuable for honing a way to specifically help officers with their boots-on-the-ground work, she says.
"This tool is very cutting-edge. There are some other checklists available that look at different elements, but they're not practical; this one, we can use in the field. It's very much tailored to the environment our peace officers see day to day."
The project also contributes to the larger goal of improving mental health in the agricultural community, Purc-Stephenson suggests.
"Animal welfare work can serve as an early warning sign for broader rural health challenges. These officers are among the only professionals regularly entering these properties, and without them, that support for individuals in distress would be absent."
