For the dogs: Easter egg hunt helps raise funds for National Service Dog organization

National Service Dogs Easter Egg Hunt in London, Ont. CTV's Brent Lale reports

For 30 years, National Service Dogs (NSD) has been holding an Easter egg hunt to raise funds for those in need of a companion.

Their biggest fundraiser of the year over six locations in Southwestern Ontario will help provide a NSD for a family for free.

“We’re hoping to raise approximately $75,000,” said Rachel Braden, the primary NSD handler for the Stratford Police Service.

“All the money goes directly to providing service dogs to veterans and first responders with PTSD, children with autism, and also facility dogs who work in various settings across the country”.

Each service dogs is valued at $15,000 over the course of their working career, so it was important the grounds at the Plunkett Estate were filled with supporters and their dogs.

Alongside Braden was NSD ‘Dusty’.

“She has a number of roles,” said Braden.

“One being to provide support to members of the police service, to support their mental health. The other being to assist victims and witnesses of crime and tragic circumstances in our community”.

In attendance were ‘Heartly’ -who is in the counselling department at Fanshawe College- and Virgil, who currently works at the London Court House with children who are involved in the criminal justice system.

“Virgil is my absolute favorite coworker,” said Rose Van Weiren, who works in the child witness program at the London Family Court Clinic.

“He works alongside me at the London Family Court Clinic in the child victim witness program. What he does, he accompanies kids and youth, when they have to testify as a victim in a criminal case”.Some of those cases could involve children involved in sexual assaults, physical assaults and or abuse.

“He (Virgil) helps provide them extra comfort when they have to testify”.

Each participant in the egg hunt donated to the cause and had the chance to find special prizes hidden in the eggs.

The London, Ont. event was one of many across the country with others taking place in Kitchener, Guelph, Hamilton, Windsor, and Calgary.