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Glock: A hero and much-loved partner

How RCMP dogs keep the peace

Morinville RCMP officers were called to the scene of a stolen single vehicle collision in Sturgeon County. The suspect, who allegedly committed multiple break-ins and property crimes, had disappeared on foot and a tracking unit was dispatched. 

Arriving at the scene was Cpl. Scott Lowe, a 12-year RCMP veteran, and Glock, his canine partner. After sniffing out the initial scent, Glock doggedly tracked the fugitive for 10 kilometres until the track ended at a road. At that point, officers became aware a local resident from the area had provided the suspect a ride. 

“We were able to determine where he was dropped off. From there, another track ensued that was pretty much an all-out sprint for me and Glock. The individual was taken into custody. It was a bit of a rodeo, but we got our guy that day,” said Lowe. 

In another case, a Sturgeon County resident chased people off his property. As he pursued them, a firearm was discharged. Near Villeneuve, the suspects abandoned their stolen vehicle. The K-9 team was once more called in.

“One guy gave himself up. We were able to track the second suspect hiding in a bush.” 

He refused to give himself up until Glock bit his arm.

The six-year-old German Shepherd, trained in tracking and narcotics detection, partnered in 2016 with Cpl. Scott Lowe. As a team, 2020 was a banner year. The duo have worked slightly more than 200 cases in both High Level and the greater Edmonton region sniffing out narcotics 

Friendly finds are also part of the job. Just a few months ago, the duo tracked and led a lost hiker out of Elk Island Park. On another occasion, they located an elderly man who had wandered from home and was in severe medical distress. 

For Lowe, whose father was an RCMP dog handler, the choice to join the family business was a “calling.” To this day, his career offers a great deal of personal gratification, particularly apprehending criminals. 

“Any time someone is eluding the police, for us to find him means he likely wouldn’t have been found otherwise. So, I think it brings a lot of satisfaction knowing that we were able to hold that person to account for their actions ... Glock certainly enjoys himself.”  

There are three RCMP teams that cover the greater Edmonton area. 

“We call ourselves Edmonton West. We cover Vegreville, Athabasca and Whitecourt down to Breton-Leduc and then out to Jasper. Basically, everything around the city.” 

In 2020, Alberta RCMP Police Dog Services responded to 2,800 calls for service and captured 900 suspects. 

Glock is formally called a Police Service Dog (PSD). PSDs are so well-respected among RCMP ranks that each four-footed officer has their own regimental number. Glock’s is 1025 – the 1,025th police service dog to graduate from the RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, Alta. 

Established in 1965, the facility breeds and trains all police dogs employed at RCMP detachments across Canada. Purebred German Shepherds are trained as specialty detection teams for protection, pursuit and tracking as well as search and rescue operations. 

Male dogs are chosen in favour of females. In addition to being in perfect physical condition, they must have personality traits suitable for police work: intelligence, an even temperament, a strong hunting instinct and a sound character.  

They are suitable for police work, not only because of their strength and courage, but because their heavy coats permit them to work equally efficiently in -40 C as well as 40 C. In addition, their presence has a psychological effect on potential wrongdoers. 

“It certainly helps when we go to court,” chuckled Lowe. “It’s intensity and that unending drive. That’s what separates these dogs from pets. You see him here and he seems laid back like a normal dog. But he has this ability to track for hours on end. I’m not holding him back. He would go ‘til he probably dropped. They just have an incredible amount of drive. They don’t quit. That’s one of the main things. If there’s a bad guy, his body language changes significantly.” 

The RCMP and a variety of other policing agencies rely on German Shepherds because of their good noses, intelligence, intense drive and controlled aggression. But at the end of the day, a German Shepherd is still a German Shepherd. 

“He is six years old going on six months. He’s got a mind of his own sometimes, but he’s very loyal and very soft-hearted. I’ve got two young girls. He can be a little rough because he thinks he’s 15 pounds when he’s 95. He’s very well-intentioned. They’re well-natured dogs that know when to go to work. He knows when we’re working and he’s a very different dog from what you see here. Like any of us in the policing world, you need to switch off. He can roam around in the back yard and I’m not concerned about him doing something silly.” 

The bonds that develop between a PSD and their handler is the stuff of heart-tugging stories, but it is difficult to assess the full emotional impact. 

“It’s just a very complete relationship with a dog. You spend so much time together. He works hard and is devoted to me and I’m devoted to him. I don’t know if I can phrase it any better than that. There’s a lot of learning – him being my first dog. Learning those things together, having struggles and working through the adversity together builds on how important we are to each other. I’d like to think he thinks I’m as important to him as he is to me.” 

Innisfail training facility 

The national RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail breeds, imprints and trains potential police dogs for narcotic or explosive detection. In 2017, the facility launched a human remains detection program, the only Canadian police agency to do so.  

Every year, the training centre has about 100 live births. Just a third of puppies will achieve police dog status as part of an operational team. 

“Believe it or not, we test them at seven weeks old. The main thing we’re looking for is drive – their want to go out and grab a paper bag or a set of keys. That’s the foundation of a working dog. In the wild, it would be a rabbit or something like that. We tap into their prey drive, their desire and want to actually go chase, grab onto things and play the game,” said Cpl. Bill Taylor, a handler at the training facility. 

By eight weeks, the puppies are boarded with an imprinter who works with them daily teaching a multitude of games and exercises designed to heighten the prey drive. A favourite game is racetrack. 

“The dog is with a collar on a leash and their handler holds the leash. A person attaches a bite bar to a long line and they’ll swing it over their head and around the dog so it can catch it. They catch it in their mouth and you create this tug of war. Most people think of it as a weapon, but it’s the only way for them to play,” Taylor said. 

Dogs are trained not to be distracted by unsure footing, tight or dark enclosed spaces, moving vehicles or loud noises. Imprinters are encouraged to take their resident dog everywhere they go – walks, hikes, streams, parks, car rides, malls, escalators, elevators and benches. 

“We want them to jump up on tables. We don’t want them to be afraid of anything.” 

Once dogs are accepted into the formal level of training at about 18 months to two years, their workload increases to about eight hours a day. Their formal training is broken down into three levels. 

The first level of training takes place in rural areas around farmers’ fields. 

“We start in those areas because the vegetation traps the scent. It’s a lush place for them to track – in these grassy fields. The longer the grass, the better,” Taylor explained. 

“Level 2 takes them industrial areas. There’s a little more contamination of animals and people. People let their dogs out for a pee. Things like that. They are taught to track human scent. We introduce field searches for human scents.” 

At Level 3, dogs go into residential areas with additional contamination and distractions. Dogs are also introduced to either narcotics or explosives searches. Narcotic dogs such as Glock, are trained using a wall with a bunch of holes in it.

“They’re (narcotics) contained in a hide so the dog never aggresses it. They can’t bite it or paw it,” said Taylor. “The narcotics (cocaine, hash, meth) sit at the back of the wall. Even though the narcotic scent is there, it’s not overpowering.

“Fentanyl is another story. We are the only police force in the world that searches for fentanyl. And it’s diluted down very far down so it can’t hurt them. But there’s still a scent.” 

Taylor has worked with police dogs for more than 15 years and continues to be amazed by them. 

“They never complain and they’re work horses. They work very hard and they do it because it’s what they want to do, and that’s what they’re bred to do.


Anna Borowiecki

About the Author: Anna Borowiecki

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