Calgary police officer's teddy bear delivery makes little girl's day

When seven-year-oldAshlynnWalia lost her new teddy bear at the Calgary Stampede she was heartbroken.

Having just received the bear that day while visiting the Calgary Stampede during BMO Kids day, Ashlynngave the bear to her parents to hold while the family had a day of fun down on the grounds.

When the family arrived at the midway to take in some rides Ashlynnrealizedthe bear had fallen out of a bag somewherealong the way. Ashlynnand her father Amritretraced their steps but there was no sign of the bear.

"She got so upset and didn't want to take more rides," Amritsaid."We tried to look around and even visited the police station at Calgary Stampede with the hope they had any extra, but they had none left."

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Not losing hope, the Waliafamily spoke with two police officers on the ground and told them what had happened in the hopes of getting another bear to consoleAshlynn.

Promised a teddy bear

EnterSgt. PaulDunnand a fuzzy friendto the rescue.

Hearing the family's story, Sgt. Paul Dunnwith the Community and Youth Services section sprang ino action.

"Dunn told her that he would definitely try to look for her lost teddy or find another one by that evening," Amritsaid.

Dunnsaid he and his partner searched for the missing teddy but had no luck. Determined to help the Ashlynn, Dunnmade a promise the Waliafamilydidn't expect him to keep.

"IpromisedAshlynn we'dfind her a bear, so when wecouldn'tfindtheoriginalbear it wasabsolutelythe right thing to do to provide her with a replacement," Dunn said."And we luckily had a bear in need of a good home andAshlynnis going to be a perfect owner."

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To the surprise of the Waliafamily, Dunn arrived at their home a fewdays later with a new bear in tow.

'Humanity, thoughtfulness and generosity'

UnfortunatelyAshlynn and her sister weren't home when Dunnmade his delivery, so the family arranged to have the girls come and visit Dunn at the YouthLink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre and pick up theirbear and some other gifts.

Dunn said he is humbled by the family's reaction to his good deed, saying hewould do the same for any child who lost their bear.

"I've met the family a couple of times now, they're a great family and really their response to it has been incredibleand it's very impactful to see the effect that you've had on a family to do something to connect with them ... and let them know what policing is like here."

Amritsaid she hopesher daughters will learn a valuable lesson from the ordeal about helping those in need and their"duties towards other fellow citizens."

"This story was not all about a lost teddy but it was about humanity, thoughtfulness and generosity of a great police officer," Amritsaid. "We would really want to say thanks from the bottom of our hearts."

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