Kaos, Kazoo among winning names chosen for RCMP puppies

Nearly 21,000 entries were submitted, but only 13 were worthy of naming the RCMP’s newest batch of K9 recruits.

The names of the first 13 puppies to be born at the Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, Alta. have now been chosen.

Winning suggestions in the annual Name the Puppy contest came from boys and girls representing every province and territory in Canada.
 
This year, all names had to start with the letter K. For multiple entries of the same name, a draw determined the winner.

The winning entries are:

• Koda – Rorie Bundt from Dawson City, Yukon
• Kai – Lexi Blandford from Yellowknife, N.W.T.
• Kullu – Nallinniq Kiguktak from Grise Fiord, Nunavut
• Kage – Andrew Chin from Richmond, B.C.
• Kammo – Mia Sharpe from Leduc, Alta.
• Kato – Joseph Knutson from Prince Albert, Sask.
• Kayla – Kally Penner from Winnipegosis, Man.
• Kazoo – Stefano Giordano from Toronto, Ont.
• Kate –  Joey Argento from Montreal, Quebec
• Kaos – Evan Bambury from St. John’s, N.L.
• Kaya – Audrey LeBlanc from Beresford, N.B.
• Knight – Aiden Murnaghan from Donagh, P.E.I
• Karma – Layla Crouse from Lunenburg, N.S.

The 13 winners each receive a photo of the puppy they named, a plush dog called Justice and an official RCMP baseball cap.
 
Now that they’re named, the RCMP puppies will move further into training for the job.

Police service dog teams search for missing or lost people, track and apprehend criminals, remove illicit drugs from the streets, detect explosives and search for evidence used in crimes.
 
The RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre is the training centre for all RCMP police dog teams in Canada.
 
Ninety-four per cent of the German shepherds working today as RCMP service dogs were born at the PDSTC as part of the RCMP Police Dog Breeding Program.