A celebration of a man’s best friend took place at the RCMP Heritage Centre over the weekend. After years of work, an unveiling was held for the “hero by my side” statue - a permanent reminder of the contributions of police service dogs. Gary Carlson, a retired RCMP member, came up with the idea -- and found an artist in Alberta to create the sculpture. “It was a three-year process of getting this done all the way down to getting it, picking it up just last week, from the foundry outside of Calgary,” Carlson said. The RCMP have been using German Shepherds as service dogs since the 1930’s. Police Pioneer John Nicholson Cawsey was one of the first RCMP dog handlers. He also kept these dogs at his home. Although their relationship was short, as John passed away when his youngest son Bruce was 11, Bruce developed a deepening bond with the breed. Bruce has travelled around the world and has had the breed by his side. “I lived in Malta for a year, and I lived in Singapore for a year, and that’s the only time in my life I did not have a dog beside me,” he said. “I’m on my ninth and 10th German Shepherd right now in the last 70 years.” Almost 100 years later after John’s efforts, even with access to the latest technology, police dogs still pose a very important trait - being able to pick up on scents. Around the country, they’ve saved thousands of people in vulnerable positions. Just over in Kamloops, B.C. a few nights prior, a young boy was found safe, thanks to a police dog. “The young boy got lost, at 11:00 at night - they couldn’t find him,” Carlson said. “The dog was there very, very quickly, picked up the track and found him. So, the question is, what would we have done without that?” Even though Bruce wasn’t in the police force, he knows what it’s like to have a hero by his side. “If you have not had a German Shepherd beside you, I can’t explain it to you,” he said. “If it’s a four-month-old pup or if they’re a 12-year-old white muzzle veteran, they’ve got your back. They do literally love you more and they love themselves.” The statue now stands among other pillars of the force, which is found along the Princess Royal Walk at the RCMP Heritage Centre.
