B . C ., I lived in a kennel in the backyard of my dad ’ s home . I spent four days on and four days off as a police dog . On days off , Dad took me for a couple of walks almost every day in a hundred-acre fenced area near our home , so I could run off the leash .
On working days , my life was full and I loved every minute . Dad had taken the back seat out of our SUV and replaced it with a flat-bottomed kennel , and I paced constantly for the entire ten hours when we were on the road . I learned that when Dad picked up a call from dispatch , the real work was about to begin , and I paced faster . The laptop mounted up front made a clicking noise whenever a “ for sure you ’ re going to a call ” came through , and I must admit I always came unglued . Hey , you gotta love what you do .
Because of the high auto theft in our area , criminals would often use stolen vehicles to commit crimes . Often , when the bad guys were noticed and chased , they ’ d abandon the vehicle and try to escape on foot , and that ’ s where I came in . I was one busy dog .
Oh yes . I mentioned my lifesaving day . Without excessive detail , a man had shot ( and killed as it turned out ) another man , had fired at two RCMP officers , and then fled on foot . I tracked him down and found him hiding in a bush preparing to shoot my dad and whoever else arrived . I charged in , grabbed his gun hand and forced him to drop his weapon . I was still on my leash , so it had been a close call . I got showered with “ Attaboys ” and later an excess of ball time and even a burger at a drive-through . It was a good job , well done .
It was days like that and many others that let me enter my retirement with a sense of satisfaction . I don ’ t know what ’ s ahead , but I ’ m proud of what I ’ ve accomplished over my career . What more could I have wanted ?
Jock Mackenzie grew up in Central Alberta , where he frequently drove past the Innisfail Dog Service Training Centre . After watching the dogs train one day , Jock ’ s interest was piqued . Jock had spent thirty-one years teaching in Red Deer , and he realized the parallels between teaching school and teaching police service dogs . But it ’ s always best to get the information right from the horse ’ s dog ’ s mouth . news & views WINTER 2020 | 41