06/03/2026
It is with great sadness that we share the news that one of our beloved SJA Therapy Dogs, Zola, crossed the Rainbow Bridge this weekend.
Alongside her human partner, Alexandria, Zola touched countless lives through her volunteer service with St. John Ambulance. She participated in therapy dog research at Royal University Hospital, brought comfort and companionship to clients at the Dubé Centre in Saskatoon and Peter Lougheed Centre in Calgary, visited families at Ronald McDonald House Charity, and supported many other community programs and events throughout the years. Zola was routinely invited to attend medical conferences to spread knowledge on the value of animal-assisted services, helping show care providers the value of developing their own therapy dog visitation programming for patients and staff.
Zola had a special gift for bringing smiles, comfort, and calm to everyone she met. Her gentle nature and little arooo's made such a big impact in our community and led her to being featured in a TEDx Talk on the power of human-animal connections.
On behalf of the entire St. John Ambulance family, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Alexandria and all those who knew and loved Zola. She will be deeply missed.