Woof! Windsor police K9 unit welcomes two dogs, retires another

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The Windsor Police Service’s K9 unit has added two new four-legged recruits, while retiring longtime service dog Hasko. 

Police on Wednesday showed off Ghost, a 17-month-old German Shepherd originally from Holland, and Linc, a 19-month old Belgian Malinois, from Hungary, at a press conference at the canine training facility on Sandwich Street. Ghost will be partnered with unit veteran Ken Meloche, and Linc will partner with unit newcomer Garret Crichton. 

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Police also introduced Vader, who is being trained for Sarnia’s police service to work with Const. Shawn Urban. 

In retiring Hasko, K9 unit head trainer Lance Montigny highlighted the courage and desire police dogs require to be successful. 

“He truly became one of the most excellent, most fearless canines that we’ve ever had,” Montigny said. Hasko was the region’s first explosives-trained dog, with “dozens of sweeps under his belt,” including one request from Southampton. 

Montigny recalled one of Hasko’s most perilous officer assists when he and Meloche were called to a robbery at a Tim Hortons location, along with another officer. 

“Firearms were pulled out on the suspect, Meloche pulled out his police dog Hasko,” Montigny said. “Many commands were given to the suspect, (who) would not drop the knife.

“In lieu of taking this suspect’s life, Officer Meloche took just a brief moment when the suspect turned around backwards and he let his partner do what he was trained to do — subduing the suspect to the ground, taking a small stab wound to the side of (the dog’s) head.

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“The suspect was taken into custody with no more than superficial wounds on him. That day, Officer Meloche saved a suspect’s life.” 

Hasko, now almost 11 years old, has difficulty getting over a six-foot fence, so it’s become an officer safety issue, Montigny said in explaining the dog’s retirement.

Ghost and Linc have specific tasks they were trained for, said Insp. Rob Wilson. Ghost is a “dual-purpose” dog, capable of general police dog duties, as well as tracking human scents, evidence searches and apprehension and explosives detection. 

Linc can also execute general purpose duties as well as detection of narcotics and firearms.  

Windsor’s K9 unit has three other dogs capable of narcotics, firearms and ammunition detection. 

Chief Jason Bellaire noted that when dogs assist in an arrest they “generate a significant level of public interest and most certainly admiration.” 

The dogs complete an extensive 15-week training course to execute “tasks that are beyond human capability,” Bellaire said. “They detect drugs, firearms and explosives, they protect our front-line officers in high-risk settings. They track missing persons and much more.” 

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Ghost is already a veteran on assists, helping to search and apprehend two suspects following a break-in at a business at 3900 block of Walker Road last Sunday. 

The 15-week training course dogs complete before heading out in public is the “bare bones” of training, said Montigny. “I still need another two years to make these dogs experts.” 

Each new K9 dog costs $10,000-$13,000 and they come from all over the world.

“We’re getting them younger because the world demand is through the roof,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it, where dogs are going all over the world and there’s such high demand to try to get them.” 

bamacleod@postmedia.com

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