The pandemic didn’t slow down Alberta’s finest four-legged Mounties.
Alberta RCMP Police Dog Services responded to 2,800 calls and helped arrest more than 900 criminals last year.
“The majority of 2020 was spent with Albertans experiencing some stage of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cpl. Scott Lowe said in a statement. “Despite these unique circumstances, there was no shortage of work for our Police Dog Service teams.”
Police dogs like Jock, pictured below, were always on their toes.
The calls to duty weren’t always safe.
About 650 involved firearms or weapons.
But police dog Hoover, pictured below, always jumped into action.
Another 570 calls into action were risky and involved violence-related offences.
Teams stretching across the province are trained to track, search for suspects or find missing persons. There were 450 calls for missing people last year.
These highly-trained dogs also help find crime scene evidence, weapons, drugs and explosives.
Dogs like Hulk, pictured below, have a nose for policing.
Property crimes are also an important duty. More than 950 of them involved police dogs last year.
And the dogs were use to track bad guys more than 700 times. Of those, 400 ended in captures.
“Part of why they are so busy is their key role in rural property crime initiatives,” Cpl. Lowe added. “PDS teams are used in a primary role in locating and apprehending rural property crime suspects.”
The RCMP’s canine cops, like Madox, pictured below, are all German Shepherds.
The RCMP has a successful breeding and training program in Innisfail in central Alberta.
Usually, one in three puppies will become an RCMP working dog or breeding female to produce future dog detectives.
And, some of them get to work in some very cool spots, like Hunter, pictured below.
Photos: Alberta RCMP
