From Hero to Hope, RCMP pups are ready for training
Every dog has its day — and now every RCMP puppy has a handle.
The Mounties have picked names for its latest batch of German shepherd puppies after receiving a record number of entries — over 21,000 — to its Name a Puppy contest.
In all, there were 13 winners, one for each province and territory.
The names include: Haley, Hammer, Hannah, Haven, Hawk, Herc, Hero, Hector, Hitch, Hooper, Hope, Hulk and Hunter.
“We hold the event every year to connect kids to the RCMP and police dogs,” Sgt. Eric Stebenne said.
Stebenne, a trainer at the Police Dog Service Training Centre ( PDSTC) in Innisfail, says the number of suggested names they’ve received since introducing online entries has skyrocketed.
“Everyone at the centre was blown away by not only the number, but also the creativity of all the entries,” said Insp. Andre Lemyre, the officer in charge of police dog services and was responsible for choosing the names of the dogs.
Stebenne says that they always try to match the names of the dogs to their personalities.
Each of the puppies will be working toward joining the service in activities like searching for lost people and apprehending criminals. Some of the puppies may also join avalanche and rescue groups.
The 13 winners of the contest will receive a certificate, a plush German shepherd named Justice, a laminated photo of the puppy they named and an RCMP cap.
Everyone at the centre was blown away by not only the number, but also the creativity of all the entries.