Police dogs eager to serve
By Angelle Meunier
Most people wake up Monday mornings feeling a little lazy. They get up and walk slowly to their vehicles, and think about that first cup of coffee. For Rocky, Monday mornings are different.
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Const. Darcy Brandt and Rocky |
He simply can't wait to get to work and serve the public. Rocky is a three-year-old, Hungarian- born, purebred German shepherd and a police service dog with the Medicine Hat Police Service.
His handler, Const. Darcy Brandt, is always motivated by the excitement he sees in his partner.
"When I open Rocky's kennel in the morning, he 'bee-lines' it for the truck. He can't wait to get to work," said Brandt. "In fact at the end of the day when I pull the service car up to my truck, I often have a hard time getting him out of the police car. Rocky would always rather be at work than at home."
The Medicine Hat Police Service started their K-9 unit in 1984 with two dogs. Today they have a unit of four dogs and four handlers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Const. Brandt has been working with Rocky since 2001, and is soon to be the head of the K-9 unit.
"A lot of new police officers want to be in the K-9 unit, and I love that I get to come to work with Rocky every day with a commitment to provide a service to the city, the unit and my partner."
Police service dogs are now on-duty throughout the province to help apprehend criminals, detect narcotics, find evidence at crime scenes, find missing persons, or help to clear a building before the police enter. The Medicine Hat police dogs are certified every year to ensure they meet the highest of standards.
