Some of the most touching police-related stories are those of the members of the K9 divisions who have performed heroic deeds on our behalf. These dogs, mostly German Shepherds, deserve to be remembered forever.
The announcement of this year's inductees into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame remind us of the many family pets and service animals who have done great deeds for humankind.
This year's inductees join a total of 139 heroic Canadian animals - 115 dogs, 23 cats, and one horse. As the good folks at Purina proudly state, "At Purina, we recognize the strong role that pets play in our lives. Each year we are proud to honour those cats and dogs that have proven themselves to be true pet heroes in the Purina Animal Hall of Fame one of the longest running pet programs in Canada."
Just about every year, they have recognized a Service Dog with a special award. Just a few of these heroes are:
ODIN: Constable Bill Dodd and his partner, Odin, got the call near midnight in early March of 2004. Some time earlier, other officers with Calgary Police Service spotted a car parking at the rear of a suspected crack house. When they investigated, suspects fled from the car.
One man was caught but, in an ensuing struggle, the other man fired a handgun, narrowly missing one of the officers. The suspect then fled on foot into the darkness of the neighbourhood. There was no snow on the ground, no easy footprint trail to follow. The officers called for canine and tactical squad backup.
Constable Dodd and Odin were alerted to an infra-red hot spot detected on the ground by the police force's helicopter. Now, it was a matter of finding the suspect in the dark before further shots were fired. The man had already shown he was willing to use deadly force.Odin, a 90-pound (41-kilogram) German Shepherd began to track as Constable Dodd held him on a 30-foot (nine-metre) line. Odin went through an opening in a fence, then suddenly started pulling hard on the leash. Constable Dodd knew Odin had located the suspect so he called the other officers to the site.
The tactical team played flashlight beams over the yard but it was difficult to pick out the suspect. Odin strained at the leash, eager to finish the job. Constable Dodd knew his companion couldn't be left exposed as a potential target so he released the line.
At that moment, the man jumped up and raised the handgun. Before he could fire, however, Odin was on him, striking the man hard, and knocking the gun from his hand. In an instant, he had the suspect on the ground. Police swarmed the scene and handcuffed him.
The man was charged with attempted murder but, while awaiting trial, died of a drug overdose in March last year. Both Constable Dodd and Odin, his partner of six years, received commendations for their roles in the takedown.
TRACER: Cpl. Joe Arduini of the North Vancouver Royal Canadian Mounted Police still gets emotional when he thinks about the price that Tracer, a German Shepherd from the Police Dog Services Unit, would have paid to save his life and the lives of three other officers.
On the night of September 26, 2000, Cpl. Joe Arduini was sent to a "Man with a gun" call along with two other members of the RCMP detachment. Cst. Christina Hughes and her dog Tracer were also called in. When the officers arrived at the scene, the man with the gun was walking towards the officers about a block away. Cst. Hughes and Tracer were sent closer to the man's location, as Cst. Hughes did not have a marked police car. Neither was she dressed in her working uniform. Cst. Hughes informed the other officers that the man was still walking towards the officers with a semi-automatic gun.
The three officers immediately moved closer to the male suspect and surrounded him with their guns drawn and instructed him to drop the weapon. Cst. Hughes sent Tracer in to subdue the suspect who refused to drop his gun. Tracer bit the suspect on his left arm. Not feeling any impact from the bite, the disturbed male lifted Tracer off the ground as her jaw clamped his arm. He then dropped Tracer to the ground and placed the barrel of the gun to Tracer's head and pulled the trigger.
The gun misfired and Tracer was called back to Cst. Hughes. The suspect then pointed the gun at Cpl. Arduini and the other officers. The suspect was fatally shot by the three officers in self defense. Tracer's heroic actions made it possible for all officers involved to evaluate the mindset of the suspect and enabled them to protect themselves and the community.
BANDIT: Danger is part of life for a police officer, but when Cpl. Rick Mosher was called to apprehend an armed suspect, who had fled from a home in George's River, Cape Breton, he had no idea just what risk he was facing. Nor did he know that he would lose his best friend and partner on that fateful day.
Following the call on the evening of June 25, 2000, Cpl. Mosher and his canine partner, Bandit, caught up with the suspect. Knowing the suspect was armed and possibly dangerous, Cpl. Mosher gave Bandit the cue to move in to distract and subdue him, which would then allow Cpl. Mosher to disarm and capture him. As Bandit willingly did his work, he suffered a serious knife wound from a second and unknown weapon the suspect had concealed in his sleeve.
Badly injured, Bandit momentarily retreated, but he leapt into action again when he saw Cpl. Mosher was about to be attacked.
Unfortunately, he was stabbed for a second time. Bandit carried out his subsequent attempt even though the initial knife wound had cut through his shoulder and severed his spinal cord. Bandit's brave action clearly prevented Cpl. Mosher from being injured and also provided Cpl. Mosher with the valuable time needed to draw his weapon and apprehend the suspect. Sadly, the additional knife wounds proved fatal for Bandit.
At the cost of his own life, Bandit's loyalty and courage saved Cpl. Mosher's life. Cpl. Mosher lost a friend, a partner and a piece of himself on that day. But he and his family are eternally grateful to Bandit.
KENO: Keno, a five-year-old German Shepherd, owned by Constable John Gerrits, suffered severe injures in his successful attempt in capturing a breaking-and-entering suspect. Constable Gerrits and his police service dog Keno answered an emergency call about a breaking-and-entering in progress.
When they arrived at the scene, the suspect had already begun to escape from the crime area. During the chase, Keno rounded a corner and was struck by an on-coming car. Despite Keno's severe bleeding from the accident, the canine continued to chase the suspect. Keno quickly caught up with the suspect and tackled him to the ground. He then gripped the criminal's arm, allowing the officers to arrest him. As a result of the accident, Keno required stitches in his leg and suffered head injuries.
LANCE: Lance, a German Shepherd police dog with the Ontario Provincial Police, tracked a missing Kitchener woman in a swampy conservation area for three hours, and led her safely through the dark woods to safety.
KANAKA: Kanaka, a black German Shepherd was responsible for numerous rescues, arrests and the recovery of evidence, stolen property and money throughout years of distinguished service. In one incident, Kanaka tracked a lost hunter for 20 hours across freezing swamps and an ice-covered lake, before finding the man. After the ordeal, Kanaka required medical attention and was commended with saving the hunter's life.
EWO: Ewo, five-year-old German Shepherd, owned by Constable Tom MacLean, had a leading role in the lengthy search and capture of two perpetrators who led a series of violent break-and-enter incidents. The Niagara Police were alerted to three men breaking into a local home. Constable MacLean and his police service dog, Ewo, were called to the scene.
After an hour, Ewo restrained the first suspect who was apprehended, leaving two more to be found in an area filled with icy water and rough terrain. Two hours passed, when the second suspect was found and apprehended. At that point the search was terminated because a number of officers were suffering from frostbite. Both Constable MacLean and Ewo together have been responsible for 83 criminal arrests and have twice received Superintendent's Commendations for outstanding Police Canine Work.
KATO: Cato, a retired police dog, owned by Constable Stephen McEdwards from the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force, was the inaugural recipient of the Service Dog of the Year Award. Cato and Constable McEdwards began tracking a suspect after a break-and-entry call. Within minutes, the suspect spotted the duo and fled. During an extended chase, both Constable McEdwards and Cato were assaulted by the man. Hanging onto the suspect, Cato and Constable McEdwards were dragged approximately 200 yards before they could restrain him for back-up officers to make the arrest.
To see more about the Purina Animal Hall of Fame, go to: /default.aspx
To read more about Heroic Police Dogs in fiction and in history, check out NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE: Canadian Mounties in History and Literature at
No comments:
Post a Comment