Pug Phoebe obtains—and loses—valid provincial ProServe certification

A pug named Phoebe fetched more than laughs after she became Alberta’s newest—and most unlikely—certified bartender.

A Calgary dog named Phoebe fetched more than laughs after she became Alberta’s newest—and most unlikely—certified bartender.

Phoebe, a nine-year-old pug owned by Calgary resident Darcy Chalifoux, successfully obtained a valid provincial ProServe certification—the mandatory training required to legally serve alcohol in Alberta.

In the past, she has also passed the online portion of a defensive driving course through the Alberta Motor Association (AMA).

Phoebe achieved both without ever touching a keyboard.

“Phoebe, being a dog, doesn’t have opposable thumbs. It makes it more difficult to run a mouse,” said Robert Day, managing director at Cognisense, the Calgary firm that conducted the test.

“But just like any human going through the system, there’s so many different ways of AI completing the training for any human or dog without any human involvement.”

Phoebe Chalifoux—who is 57 in dog years—had her credentials issued under her real name.

It exposes what cybersecurity experts say are serious flaws in the province’s online verification systems.

“Legally, she could (work as a bartender) in as far as she has received the training, just like any other server or bartender in the province of Alberta,” Day said.

“The fact that Phoebe, a dog, a pug, actually received this training, this certification, is the concerning part.”

Day said AI technology completed the online course and exam in minutes.

Day maintains it points to systemic issues with online certifications that are meant to protect the public.

“We need this—the systems—to be checked to make sure it’s meeting the intent. Otherwise, it ends up just being a tax on the time and the money of Albertans.”

According to Day, the province was notified of these risks more than a year ago when Phoebe previously applied for—and received—the same certification.

“We did receive notification from the province that they consider this a severe or a serious security risk,” he said.

“We highlighted it to the province over a year ago, but there’s been no change or action since then.”

For Darcy Chalifoux, the situation was equal parts amusing and alarming.

“Very proud,” he said.

“She’s been leeching off us for about nine years, and it’s about time that she’s able to step out in the workforce and pay some bills.”

Chalifoux said the idea started after Phoebe began watching him work.

“We’ve been looking at online training and noticed that Phoebe was actually paying attention to the screen one day in my office. And that’s where the idea came from,” he said.

“If there are no ID checks for any of the really important training online, why couldn’t she get certified? So here she is.”

Even those who rely on ProServe certification weren’t shocked at how easily Phoebe passed.

“Not particularly surprised,” said Victoria Campbell, manager at St. James Corner Restaurant and Irish Pub.

“It’s supposed to put people in real-life situations to make sure people are being served alcohol correctly. However, it’s unsupervised, so anybody could do it. I could send it over to my mom in Scotland, and she could complete the course for me.”

Campbell said it’s no secret in the industry that some people take shortcuts.

“People talk. It’s one of those things that people have their ProServe, but did they necessarily do it? Did they skip to the end of the test and just answer the questions?”

A spokesperson for Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) provided CTV with the following statement:

“While government-issued ID is not collected at the time of training, the name on the certification must match the legal name listed on their government-issued ID. Employers are required to maintain accurate personnel records and are responsible for verifying the identity of the individual.”

AGLC also said, “Should a SMART program participant’s credentials be falsified or incorrect, AGLC may suspend or cancel their certifications, and the individual would be unable to work in a position in Alberta where ProServe certification is required.”

Following CTV’s inquiries to the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis as well as Service Alberta, Chalifoux received notice that Phoebe’s ProServe certification had been cancelled.

The AMA, which oversees the online defensive driving course, pushed back hard.

In a statement, it said:

“We were first made aware of this situation by Cognisense, a company that deliberately created a false profile to complete an online demerit reduction course with the admitted purpose of wanting to sell us their commercial product.”

The AMA said any certificate must be validated in person with a matching driver’s licence.

“To be clear: no dog received a demerit reduction,” it said.

While Phoebe’s short-lived bartending career appears over, she continues to amass certifications for other endeavours, including construction safety and boating.

You can follow Phoebe’s quest to maintain her status as “the world’s most credentialed dog” on her website.