PHOTO COURTESY MHPS TWITTER
Const. Roger Page completed basic training a couple weeks ago with new police service dog Hutch. Page is back on the K9 Unit after a 10-year hiatus.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
Medicine Hat police Const. Roger Page is returning to the K9 Unit after a decade-long hiatus, and he’s got a new partner.
He completed basic training with Hutch – a pure-bred German Shepherd from Germany – on Jan. 3.
Page, who’s been with the Medicine Hat Police Service for 21 years, says a K9 officer does what patrol officers do, “just with the extra duties of a dog.”
There are a variety of circumstances that call for a canine’s deployment – firearms complaints, domestics and robberies, as well as more “low-end offences,” such as vehicle entries, shoplifting, thefts and minor assaults.
“It depends on the type of call. If a bad guy has fled on foot, that’s an indication a canine is necessary,” said Page. “They may have fled in a vehicle and dropped evidence behind. We can go and do an evidence search.”
Police dogs must be trained first and foremost for obedience.
“Everybody wonders why we do obedience,” said Page. “Obedience breeds into everything that we do. You have to build a bond with a dog and have that dog communicate with you in a way where it’s going to be safe for them and us, and obedience is the perfect way to do that.”
This is particularly important in preparing for scenarios where the dog must be called off.
Page switched units 10 years ago after his old dog Brix retired due to back issues.
In the interim, he worked in patrols and priority street crimes before his return to the K9 Unit.
“They needed an experienced handler to come back and take over one of the dogs they had open and they asked me, so I agreed to come back,” said Page.
“Usually after the life expectancy of one dog, then it’s time to move on – look at either promotion or other areas of the city that you can actually police.”
The MHPS gets its canines from a breeder in the U.S., which imports its dogs from Europe.
These canines are bred for a schutzhund ring competition, so they’re in top physical shape.
“If there’s a dog that has a minor little defect – and it could just be a physical defect in their appearance and it could be that they’re not the perfect dog for their competition – then they wash those dogs,” said Page.
“Those dogs are absolutely perfect for police dogs, because we’re not looking for the pretty dogs, we’re not looking for the dogs that are going to win top-notch awards for the breeders. We’re looking for dogs who will get the work done, and these guys are phenomenal.”
