The Sarnia Police Service (SPS) now has two police dogs it can rely on, with the newest recruit being an 18-month-old German Shepherd mix named Shadow.
Shadow (originally from Holland) was officially introduced at the Christina Street police facility on Monday, his first official day on the job.
His handler, Cst. Kyle Vince, said the two were paired in mid-August and recently completed a 15 week training course led by the Windsor Police Service.
"What kind of drew me is the hard work of the dogs and the exceptionalism they really show when they're out on the jobs," Vince said.
Vince and Shadow will join the other members of the SPS Canine Unit, Vader and Cst. Shawn Urban. Vader joined the service in April 2024.
"I've had the pleasure of working with Cst. Urban for a year now doing training," Vince said. "Watching Vader go to work is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Getting to serve the community with a partner by your side all the time is going to be exciting."
Shadow and Vader will predominantly work independently, which will give Vader and Cst. Urban some downtime.
"I've been deployed 140 times... about half of that has been while I was at home. It's been a busy year," Urban said.
However, this has also been the highlight of Urban's career thus far.
"He's a great dog to work with and I got super lucky getting him. I've enjoyed every minute of it," said Urban.
Deputy Police Chief Michael Van Sickle said the Canine Unit will consistently help with missing persons but will also help with de-escalation and high-intense situations.
"Certainly, there will be opportunities where if we have an escalated incident, we are going to use both of our dogs," Van Sickle said. "With having a tactical team, we're going to embed one of the dogs with the tactical team for any operation that they're doing. If it's expanded out and we need an outer perimeter, then we'll use the second dog."
The Sarnia Police Service Board approved a request to expand the Canine Unit in April.
If they're able to, police dogs typically spend seven to eight years on the job before retiring.
The police dogs will stay with their respective handlers and will be on call 24/7.
Vince said his family is excited for this new post.
"They love him. They think he's cute. Obviously, nobody's allowed to interact with him but they're excited to see what the future holds for both of us in this community," Vince said.
Shadow's name was chosen through a contest, which closed in late July. SPS Communications Coordinator Marika Sylvain Groendyk said they received 155 qualified entries, 130 names were also suggested on a Facebook post.
Lakeroad Public School Grade 5 student Dylan Clark said he nominated the name because the dog "will shadow his handler and work in the shadows."
Clark was presented with a plaque on Monday. Vince was also given Shadow's police badge, signifying his deployment.
