After a years on the job, Blitz is relieving into retirement.
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Blitz, a four-legged member of the OPP Canine Unit covering Lambton and Chatham-Kent, has actually logged simply over 1,500 calls throughout his time dealing with Const. Kris Black tracking suspects, missing out on individuals, proof, drugs and guns.
Soon, all that work will in the paws of Tackle, a two-year-old German Shepherd Black is executing the lasts of screening needed for authorities service dogs.
And then, Black said, Blitz can delight in “hopefully, just being a dog for a while.”
“He’s actually in really good health” Black said. “Nobody can believe that he’s 12 years old.”
Black matured in Lambton County and, as somebody who constantly liked dogs, was brought in to being part of the canine system.
“It’s one of those jobs that has instant gratification,” he said. “You get called out in the middle of the night and have to track down somebody who’s run from a stolen vehicle, or something. And then you catch them.”
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Black took control of for a handler who was retiring. “I got to go on a few tracks with him and I really enjoyed it.”
Blitz is proficient at his job, Black said.
A call that sticks in his mind is one where Blitz situated a piece of clothes that ended up being crucial proof in a triple murder examination.
“It was a pretty good find for him,” Black said.
Also, Blitz discovered a missing out on senior on what was just his 2nd call.
“The person would have, probably, not made it through the night,” Black said.
Six to 9 years is typiclly the length of time OPP basic service dogs stay on the job, Black said.
“So I got lucky he lasted as long as he did.”
Changing service dogs is “a bit of a learning curve,” Black said. “Every dog’s different.”
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He has actually found resemblances and distinctions in between Tackle and Blitz.
“I’ve noticed he’s a lot stronger than my other guy,” Black said about Tackle. “He pulls a lot harder when he tracks.”
Tackle likewise “just wants you to be happy with him,” Black said. “He craves your attention.”
Because Tackle received pre-training, and Black is a skilled handler, they finished a 12-week course compared to the typical 20-week basic service course. Still to be finished is Tackle’s drug and gun training.
“So technically, my old guy is still a drug dog, for now,” Black said.
“But, even when he retires I don’t know if I’m going to be able to leave him at home,” he said. “I’ll probably bring him in the truck with me, still. He’s been my partner for 10 years now.”
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OPP service dogs are German shepherds, or shepherd and malinois blends, Black said.
German shepherds “have a good nose,” he said. “They’re loyal to the handler. They have a good hunt drive and a defence drive.”
General service dogs mainly track desired and missing out on individuals.
“They’re also able to do building clearing, evidence searches, criminal apprehension,” Black said. “They’re also duel trained, so they’re trained in drugs and firearms.”
The dogs go home with him at the end of the work day and the system is on call.
“We want to be able to get to a call as quickly as we can, so we bring them home and take care of them,” he said.
Black covers Lambton and Chatham for the OPP however his system belongs to the OPP West Region – extending in between Windsor, Owen Sound and Hamilton – which has 7 canine systems covering each other’s locations when required.
As well as Blitz and Tackle, Black trained an explosive detection dog, Celaena, likewise a German shepherd.
“She detects approximately 20 different odours” linked to business and homemade dynamites, he said.
