By rdnewsNOW staff

Police Dogs

Alberta Mounties celebrate unique police dog partnerships

Aug 23, 2019 | 5:30 PM

EDMONTON– In recognition of International Dog Day on Monday, Aug. 26, Alberta RCMP’s Police Dog Services Unit recently provided a demonstration of their abilities in tacking illicit substances, explosive materials and suspects through adverse conditions.

Police Dog Services Unit handlers Sgt. Troy Raddatz, Cpl. Andy Brown and Cpl. Mike Drenka, with Police Service Dogs Hulk, Echo and Roy showed-off their skills and took questions from the assembled media.

“Hulk is the hardest working and most reliable partner I could ever hope to have, but he’s more than that. He’s also a loving member of our family,” shared Raddatz, Police Dog Services Program Manager for “K” Division RCMP.

“I’m very lucky to be partnered with Roy. Our personalities are one in the same. While we both enjoy our backyard leisure time with the family, we can quickly and effectively head off at a moment’s notice to assist frontline members, whether it be locating a missing person, or apprehending a wanted criminal. I can’t think of another dog, or even person I would rather work with, day in and day out,” said Drenka.

Brown added, “The bond between a dog and their handler is unlike any other relationship. You spend so much time together, constantly at work, training and on your days off, your dog becomes a part of your family. The biggest part of a team’s ability to succeed in the field relies heavily on this bond.”

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All RCMP working dogs are purebred German Shepherds that are bred, born and trained in Innisfail at the Police Dog Service Training Centre. On average, the Centre will whelp 100 healthy puppies every year.

The responsibilities of police services dogs include locating lost persons; tracking criminals; searching for narcotics, explosives, human remains, crime scene evidence and lost property; VIP protection; crowd control, in conjunction with tactical troop; hostage situations; avalanche search and rescue; and police/community relations.

Currently, there are 19 dogs in “K” Division.