AST Digital Magazine October 2017 Digital-Oct | Page 82

Volume 17
October 2017 Edition
sends out its annual invitation for children to
help name the German shepherd puppies that
the Mounties will train as police dogs.
RCMP Police Dog Annual Naming Con-
test
German shepherd puppies as they progress towards becoming
police dogs. Trainer Const. Richard Bushey says the lessons
start out light for the young canines. Courtesy of the Canadian
Press and YouTube)
In 1937, Commissioner MacBrien, satisfied with
the value of police dogs, ordered an RCMP train-
ing school for dogs and handlers to be established
at Calgary.
Every year, the RCMP Police Dog Service
Training Centre (PDSTC) holds a contest to
name puppies born into the training service
with a winner chosen in each of the prov-
inces and territories of Canada.
On this particular year, RCMP PDS Training
Centre received close to 21,000 entries and the
In 1940, the RCMP won its first case involving dog
search evidence.
Police Dog Service Training Centre
The RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre
was established at Innisfail, Alberta in 1965.
The training staff comprises one officer in charge,
one staff sergeant program manager, one staff ser-
geant senior trainer, five sergeant trainers, one ac-
quisition sergeant, two corporal pre-trainers and a
support staff of six public service employees.
winner for Prince Edward Island is Aiden Mur-
naghan of Donagh.
Aiden Murnaghan of Donagh
Aiden submitted the name “Knight” and P.E.I.
RCMP PDS team Cst. Kristian Thomsen and
his canine partner, Fleck, surprised Aiden at the
Donagh Regional School to let him know that
he won the contest for P.E.I. and provide him
with some gifts to remember the event.
It’s a sure sign spring is coming when the RCMP