Wolfe helps with arrest on first shift with police
He’s young, strong and handsome — meet the new city police dog
One of the newest members of the city police service has a lot going for him right now.
He’s young, he’s strong, he’s handsome and he’s got a ton of enthusiasm. He’s worked one shift and has already helped make an arrest.
Meet Wolfe, a 14-month-old German shepherd, the newest member of the canine unit.
Wolfe replaces Harris, who retired after walking the beats with Const. Jeff Chartier for seven years.
Wolfe’s handler is Const. Tim Fish, five-year city police veteran.
It’s Wolfe’s first week on the job. He and Fish have just completed 15 weeks of training at the police dog training academy in Niagara-on-the-lake.
Fish said he always liked dogs while growing up and he always wanted to be a police officer.
The canine unit seemed like a perfect fit.
Fish said he often worked with the canine unit whenever possible after joining the force, volunteering to put on the bite suit when needed, and even travelling to Niagara on occasion to learn more about police dogs.
Fish learned that his application into the unit was successful in the late summer. He and Staff Sgt. Marc Habgood then travelled to the St. Catharines area to pick out his dog.
Police look for a dog that’s not going to give up easily and pursues something right through to the end no matter how daunting or lengthy the task.
“It’s all about the drive,” Fish explained. “This dog has to have a lot of drive.”
To help discover that trait they hid objects in tall grass, Fish said, then checked to see which dog searched the longest and the hardest without calling it quits.
It was pretty clear that Wolfe was a strong contender. But he did come with a challenge.
Wolfe was only 10 months old. Most police dogs, Fish said, are about 18 months to two years old when training begins.
Because he’s young he has a lot of extra energy, Fish said, which means constant training in the months to come.
Training starts with the basics. Dogs track for only 20 feet at a time, though by the end of the course they’re expected to track for 1,500 paces.
“During the first couple of weeks, you’re thinking you’ll never get there,” he said with a laugh.
And of course, there’s a heavy emphasis on commands and behaviour.
Wolfe’s training includes tracking people and sniffing out marijuana, hash, crack, cocaine, methamphetamines, ecstasy and heroin.
Then there’s “bark and hold,” a command and action that will scare the pants off any runaway suspect, and the much more painful “bite and hold.”
The dogs are trained to be aggressive, Fish said, and they’re trained not to fear any situation.
“It’s a game to them,” Fish said. “And they always win.”
Fish’s four-footed partner already has one arrest under his collar.
The pair began their first shift together Wednesday night.
It had been relatively quiet and he, along with constables Brent Mason and Travis Earle, were actually planning to practise a building search with Wolfe when dispatch called at about 2:45 a.m. A prowler on Tobin Court was opening unlocked vehicles.
Fish said the group got there and he was in the process of outfitting Wolfe with his tracking harness when they spotted a suspect crouched behind an SUV.
Fish began yelling commands to Wolfe and the two headed toward the vehicle. Wolfe began barking and the suspect didn’t move.
“As soon as Wolfe saw him, he just lit up,” Fish said. “That’s exactly what we want.”
The man was quickly arrested and the officers recovered a stolen credit card, cash and a wristwatch.
Luther Victor Thompson Cary, 19, of Havelock, was charged with theft, possession of property obtained by crime and prowling at night. He appeared in court Thursday.
Fish’s new job requires him to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
The average career of a police dog is about seven to eight years. Fish acknowledged that he’s made a big commitment.
But it’s one he’s looking forward to.
He’s already looking forward to training with the emergency response team and wants Wolfe to have a career full of opportunity, with every chance to be successful.
NOTE: Wolfe was purchased for the police by the Knights of Columbus, who also helped city police purchase Knight, who is still working and is handled by Const. Brent Mason.