AvenueCalgary.com 25The Hero Calgary
deserves
P
referring to keep his identity secret,
the man known as HolyBatman patrols
the streets of Calgary in his Batman
costume and Polaris Slingshot Batmo-
bile — complete with Batman decals
— doing good by visiting sick children and
making appearances at charity events.
While movie and comic-book Batman’s origin
story is famously tragic, HolyBatman (the name
is a reference to the campy Adam West version
of Batman) got his start two years ago, when he
and his wife moved to Houston for her work.
While on the job hunt there, HolyBatman used
his free time to engage in charity work by putting
on his custom-designed Batman suit and visiting
children with cancer who were recovering from
chemotherapy treatments in the hospital.
One of his first hospital visits was at the
request of a mom whose son was feeling under
the weather, thinking that a visit from Batman
would be just the thing to brighten up his day.
“And it really did,” HolyBatman says. “That was
one of the things that melted my heart and I
said: ‘That’s it, I need to keep doing this.’”
Upon moving back to Calgary a year ago,
HolyBatman began making appearances at
charity events such as the Calgary police mara-
thon and the United Way plane pull, as well as
at Ronald McDonald House and other places,
posing for photos and engaging with kids. It has
now come to the point where organizations are
reaching out and requesting an appearance.
One of the hardest things about being Holy-
Batman is maintaining the superhero’s character-
istically brooding demeanour. “It’s tough, becauseHolyBat-
man and a
young fan in
the Polaris
Slingshot
Batmobile.Dog Days
J
C St-Louis isn’t your average dog trainer.
A retired Calgary Police Service officer
and dog handler, he has worked with
canines since 1977, including a stint as
a breeder that sold dogs to police depart-
ments across North America.
St-Louis addresses all behavioural issues in-
cluding excessive barking, poor recall, jumping,
separation anxiety and more. However, dog own-
ers often decide to call him when their four-legged
companion has shown signs of aggression.
“People will put up with a lot if the dog is
friendly,” says St-Louis. “But when it becomes
aggressive, it ruins the human animal bond and
folks want help addressing that.”
As a former member of the K9 unit, St-Louis
is used to dealing with large assertive dogs. He
understands why canine aggression occurs and
how to deal with it.
“My toughest case was by far Carlo, my police
dog,” says St-Louis. “I was Carlo’s third handler
and he was on the verge of being removed from
the Calgary Police Service’s K9 unit. That dog
helped me become a better trainer. The cases
I see today are very manageable thanks to my
experience with Carlo.”
Carlo suffered from a high state of arousal,
meaning he was overresponsive to stimulus,
which St-Louis channeled into training for titles.
By the time Carlo was three, he had earned eight
titles including DPO II, a service dog examina-
tion used by many federal and military agencies,
and Schutzhund level III, the masters level of
tracking, obedience and protection.
These days, St-Louis welcomes clients to his
dog-training facility, which features an indoor
training centre, agility field, kennels and a two-
acre fenced yard. St-Louis also makes house calls.
“I usually have a pretty good idea of the type of
dog I am dealing with and the technique that will
work best after a short conversation,” he says. “If
I can, I try to fix the problem during a [home] visit
and give clients the tools they need to continue
working on the problem. My objective isn’t to get
clients to commit to lots of training. People seem
to appreciate that.” —Cat Nantelwhen I’m out there, people say, ‘Batman doesn’t
smile this much,’ and I’m like, ‘well, you try to be
in a picture and not smile,’” he says. “When the
kids have such a big smile, it makes me smile.”
It’s not just kids who have benefitted —
late last year, HolyBatman was asked to give a
74-year-old fan a ride in the Batmobile, fulfilling
a longtime wish. “She really wanted to go for
a ride with Batman and I couldn’t resist, so we
patrolled the streets, looking for the Joker. She
thanked me so much and gave me the biggest
hug and said she’s always going to remember
this,” he says. “There are so many moments like
that, that I remember and can look back on.
Maybe that’s why I smile so much in pictures.”
—Andrew GuilbertFor more information visit holybatman.org.HolyBatman photography courtesy of HolyBatman; JC St. Louis photograph by Cat Nantel