NEW GLASGOW – Nine-year-old Brennan Dahl-Crowe received a special visit Monday for naming one of the country’s newest police dogs.
Dahl-Crowe was one of 10 students from across Canada who won the Name the Puppy contest held by the RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre in Alberta.
Dahl-Crowe chose Clay for a name and was awarded a photo of the puppy, a certificate and stuffed toy, named Justice, for his selection by Cpl. Rick Moser of the RCMP.
The Temperance Street School student said he chose the name because it started with the letter C and was short which fall within the requirements of naming police dogs.
Following the presentation, Mosher brought in his own police dog, Stinger, who showed the students some of this own tricks such as heeling, fetch and searching for drugs.
Upon his arrival, Moser asked the students not to put out their hands to pet the dog because the only praise and reward he gets is from his trainer, Moser.
“He looks to me for food, shelter, praise and rewards,” said Moser. “This builds a bond between us. No one is ever angry with these dogs. They learn through praise and reward.”
Moser said if people touch the dog, a criminal could learn to pet the dog and distract it from protecting a police officer. He said the dog learns hand and voice signals that tell it what to do in different situations.
Puppies are tested at various stages, some as young as eight weeks old, to see if they have the skills to be a police dog, he said. The dogs are taught not be afraid of anything so they are able to go into any situation.
He said police dogs do various tasks ranging from catching shoplifters to searching for drugs.
“There is no computer in the world that can replace a dog’s nose,” he said, adding German shepherds are the preferred breed because they are smart animals with a good ability to learn. He said their coats are very adaptable to all nature’s elements which makes them a great choice for working in Canada’s coldest climates.
He said the dogs are exceptionally useful in search and rescue missions, especially if they are called in within an hour of a person being lost.
“A thirty-person ground search and rescue team can do the same ground cover I can with one dog,” said Moser.
