Sarah Mills: The magic of the May Long Weekend
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Sunday will see a lot of furry friends running around the RCMP Heritage Centre for the K9 Kadets Family Event.
It’s an event that celebrates all things dog, according to centre CEO Tara Robinson.
“Dogs have played a key role in policing in Canada … Right now, today, across Canada there are more than 150 RCMP dog service teams,” said Robinson.
The day starts at 11 a.m. and includes dog-themed activities, crafts, presentations and movies. Kids can also bring their stuffed dogs for a checkup with a vet.
There will also be three K9 teams there, from explosives, patrol and drug units.
“They’re going to be doing demonstrations about what they do and kind of the training and you can ask the handlers anything that you want. It’s just really fascinating how they’re just as important as their human handlers and the officers,” said Robinson.
The whole thing is going to be hosted by Indi, the heritage centre’s resident canine.
“She went through the RCMP dog training but she’s proved to be a little bit too sociable and a little bit too distracted by shiny objects and balls and that sort of thing, so she didn’t quite make the training, so she got a job here (at the heritage centre),” said Robinson.
Before the family event starts, a new addition to the Pillars of the Force will be unveiled.
The Pillars of the Force includes engraved bricks on the Princess Royal Walk and plaques on the Pillars of the Centre which are dedicated to those who respond to the call of duty and those who support them. On Sunday, a K9 pillar will be unveiled to honour police service dogs.
After the pillar is unveiled at 10 a.m., RCMP cadets will begin their leg of Jago’s Run – a fundraiser for Ned’s Wish and in honour of a police dog who was killed while saving the lives of his handler and three other officers in June.
