6 dogs and a horse receive Calgary police badge at Tuesday ceremony

Ten dogs and a horse were sworn in as law enforcement Tuesday and are officially ready to start working.

The Calgary Police Service officially welcomed seven new four-legged members to the force on Tuesday during a graduation ceremony in the city’s northeast.

Six dogs and a horse appeared alongside their handlers at the celebration in Calgary Police Canine Park.

The newest police dogs include Ozzy, Pronto, Leroy and Zom, as well as human remains detection dogs named Quinn and Bill.

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The Calgary police canine unit has played a vital role in frontline policing for more than 66 years.

All dogs are trained in-house by officers who must first complete five years of patrol work before applying to the unit.

Officials say breeds like German shepherds, Belgian Malinois and Labrador retrievers are chosen for their strong sense of smell, work ethic and ability to connect with handlers and the public.

“The dogs provide a very specialised unique role, frankly, us as human officers can’t do on our own,” said Sgt. Ian Veron. “Recognizing their contributions and their service is important to handlers, important to police in general.”

On average, each dog is deployed about four times per shift.

The new police service horse is named Archer.

The mounted unit has roots dating back to 1910, but was re-established in 1979.

Police service horses are named in recognition of significant events in Canadian military history.

Calgary’s most recent addition is a five-year-old Percheron and American Quarter Horse cross gelding.

He was named after Operation Archer, in honour of Canada’s contribution to international security efforts in Afghanistan.

“Despite being smaller than some others in the unit, Archer brings a strong work ethic, agility and a steady temperament to his role,” police said in a news release.

“Known for his friendly and playful personality, Archer is often the first to greet visitors and is always eager to get to work.”

Alberta Sheriffs joined in the ceremony Tuesday to celebrate four drug detection dogs joining their ranks: Lurko, Scarlet, Seamus and Portos.

“This is by far the largest graduation ceremony we’ve ever had,” said MC Tara Robinson, director of the Calgary Police Discovery Centre.