The Drumheller RCMP’s youngest recruit jut arrived last week and already he is making friends, especially around the detachment.
Constable Jeremy Willis has a new partner nipping at his heels. Fura was born on January 15 and is in training to be a RCMP service dog. He arrived at the station last Tuesday.
This is the second RCMP dog to be raised by a RCMP member at the Drumheller Detachment. inSide Drumheller shared the story of Derby with readers in November of 2011 when Constable Rachel Pergunas began the process. That pup however was found to not be suitable for police service.
Constable Willis is interested in becoming an officer in the canine unit. It is a competitive program and as a prerequisite, officers are to raise puppies. Fura will be with Willis for about a year and the dog will be constantly assessed and graded.
During this time the dog will receive informal obedience training and be socialized into the officer’s home and work place. Fura won’t be raised as a pet however; the dog will be encouraged to develop its instinctive traits.
At the end of the year if Fura meets its developmental goals, it will be trained for service. All dogs are trained for apprehension and tracking. After that they are streamed to specialize in either drug or explosive detection.
The canine unit is physically demanding for both the officers and the dogs. The dogs have a RCMP service life of about seven years. The national training facility is located in Innisfail.
Over the next few months Fura will be slowly introduced to the community. Right now the German Shepherd pup is a black ball of fur, but that is expected to change dramatically over the next year.
