The Ottawa Police Service has found some new recruits.
And they work for kibble.
Three new police dogs, and their human handlers, are currently undergoing extensive training in Larose Forest, east of the city.
If all goes well the three teams will take their place in the Service’s elite, seven-member Canine Unit.
One of those teams currently learning the ropes is young Fuli, a German Shepherd/Malinois cross, and his partner, Const. Brad Rohrig. “He’s 19 months right now,” explains Rohrig. “Full of energy still, but he’s a quick learner.”
There’s plenty to learn. Six days a week for sixteen weeks. And that’s just basic training.
The teams are currently practising their scent-tracking skills in the rough, isolated terrain of the forest. Skills they’ll be able to use to track a lost hiker or, more often, a suspect on the lam. “Our job is to go and try and locate that person who’s run away,” says trainer, Sgt. Paul Smith. “That’s the bulk of our business. The majority of what we do is tracking.”
Eventually the training will move to more populated areas and include the hard surfaces and varied distractions of the city.
The dogs are well-cared for by their handlers. But they are definitely working dogs, not pets. Eventually they’ll also be expected to bite an aggressive suspect if necessary. Rohrig says Fuli stays in a kennel outside the house and does not interact with household pets. “A lot of us have pets at home. But when it comes to actually training a dog it’s completely different.”
The Canine Unit is a small but invaluable part of the police force. If a dog can find a suspect in a matter of hours it can save investigators weeks of exhaustive, and expensive, police work.
Here’s hoping Officer Fuli always gets his man.
