Gunner was brought in for one paramedic.

But when the York Region therapy dog entered the room full of paramedics last year, a familiar scene unfolded. Colleagues gathered around him, smiling, reaching down to pet him and competing for his attention.

The person he had come to support remained quiet at the edge of the group.

For a moment, Gunner stayed in the middle of the crowd.

Then he walked away from it.

“Gunner just stopped the big fanfare that was happening over him, and just immediately went over to the other colleague and just sat beside them,” recalled Chelsea Robertson, his handler and a York Region advanced care paramedic.

The colleague’s eyes began to fill with tears. Gunner didn’t move.

“I could see that person immediately, not break down, but tears in their eyes, and just kind of did their own thing and petted him,” Chelsea said.

The other paramedics continued their conversation and gave the colleague space. Soon, the person was sitting on the floor beside Gunner, quietly petting him.

“It was just him sitting there, and the colleague didn’t really speak to anyone else, just, just interacted with Gunner,” Chelsea said. “It was really sweet to see that he kind of knew what needed to be done, went over and just sat with the colleague.”

For Chelsea, the moment confirmed something she had believed since Gunner was a puppy.

“He’s definitely the right dog for the role,” she said.

Chelsea is in her 19th year as a paramedic, a member of the service’s Special Response Unit, working as a tactical medic, and is a mother.

On top of those responsibilities, she volunteers as one of York Region’s therapy dog handlers.

Gunner’s path to the program began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chelsea’s family had recently lost a dog and was looking for another when her mother called about a litter of puppies at a nearby farm.

Gunner, now five, is a German shepherd and golden retriever mix. Chelsea said his calm personality became clear early.

“He just had such a wonderful personality,” she said. “I just kind of thought, ‘Oh, this dog would be so great in a therapy dog role.’”

That was before York Region created its own therapy dog program. Chelsea had already considered pursuing therapy work with him independently.

“Everyone that meets him, he’s so wonderful and kind, and just had such a great temperament,” she said. “I thought he’d serve the role really, really, really well.”

When York Region launched its program, the timing felt almost too perfect.

“The region decided to develop a therapy dog program, and I was like, ‘Hey, I have the perfect dog for this,’” Chelsea said.

She researched the St. John Ambulance program and watched videos about the selection process. Gunner passed his assessment on his first attempt.

“He passed no problem, as I knew that he would,” she said.

Gunner now visits paramedics at York Region headquarters, local stations and other gatherings. Some visits are planned. Others happen after a critical incident or a difficult call.

Chelsea said Gunner rarely has to work hard to attract a crowd.

“A lot of the time I just have to walk into the building and people immediately flock to him,” she said.

Gunner has a habit of pressing his body gently against people as they pet him.

“I always joke that he’s a leaner,” Chelsea said. “Any time someone comes up to pet him or interact with him, he just kind of leans his body against them. He always kind of goes to every single person, so he’s pretty intuitive that way… he seems to be just drawn to those people.”

Some paramedics run over as soon as they see him. Others take their time. Chelsea said even those who claim they are not dog people often end up approaching him.

The visits are kept casual and allow each paramedic to decide how much interaction they want.

“It’s just meant to be how the paramedic wants to interact with him,” Chelsea said.

That choice matters in a profession where asking for support has not always been easy.

Chelsea said the culture was different when she began her career.

“In the beginning of my career it was very much the mentality of, this is what you signed up for,” she said. “You have to be able to take it and you have to be able to deal with it.”

There was once a stigma around admitting that a call or a difficult period had taken a toll. Now, she sees paramedics becoming more willing to acknowledge when they need support.

“Mental health is really supported in our role and asking for help is, encouraged instead of frowned upon now,” Chelsea said. “Being able to just admit to colleagues, ‘Hey, I’m having a hard time,’ it isn’t unsupported like it used to be.”

Needing help, she added, does not always mean someone can no longer work. It could be one difficult day, pressure at home or several stresses accumulating at once.

“It might just mean you’re just having a rough day or things are affecting you or just life in general,” she said. “It might not even necessarily be the job.”

For paramedics who do not want to explain everything they are feeling, Gunner offers another kind of support.

“I think the therapy dogs offer a great middle point of just being able to take a breather, kind of unload some stress and not necessarily having to talk it out,” Chelsea said. “That’s not everybody’s style.”

Sometimes, support can be a conversation.

Sometimes, it can be a quiet dog sitting beside you, asking nothing and somehow knowing exactly where he belongs.