The Sarnia Police Service (SPS) is inviting local youth to get involved in naming its new police dog.
A ‘Name the K9’ campaign was launched this week in an effort to help introduce a new K9 team, to be selected next month.
“In 2022 and 2023, the SPS conducted extensive public outreach as part of our business planning and budgeting process,” said Chief Derek Davis in a news release. “We heard directly from the residents that we serve and their community safety needs. We listened.”
A canine officer was one of a number of priorities in the SPS 2024 budget.
“Over the past several months, extensive preparatory work has gone into creating this new team," police said in a news release. "We are very excited to now be in the final stages of implementation and delivering on this priority community expectation.”
The new dog and its handler will begin four months of training with Windsor Police training partners, SPS added.
“At the successful conclusion of the training, the Canine Team will be operational within our city, working in collaboration with neighbouring police service Canine Units.”
This marks the service’s first police canine since ‘Kato’ was retired in 1997, a news release added.
“Twenty-seven years later, policing in our City has changed. We see the importance of having the capabilities of a Canine Team and how those capabilities contribute to community safety.”
Local youth who reside in the City of Sarnia, between the ages of four and 14, are invited to submit their name suggestions, along with their name and school, to [email protected]. Names are to be aligned with the values of the SPS and must be easy for the dog to recognize (one or two syllables). The contest closes on April 2, 2024, and the winning name will be announced on April 15, 2024.