Cricket's popularity is growing in Waterloo region, especially among women
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Hot dogs: As the weather heats up, keeping cool and fresh is a big part of a dog's life — especially the working ones. Const. Ross Findlay and Police Service Dog Kanto take a cooldown break in Coquitlam on Wednesday. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PNG A man plays with his dog in a wooded Coquitlam glen, tossing a ball with a splash into the crystal-clear waters of their top-secret swimming hole. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. 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THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors It's a warm summer day, the heat not quite reaching oppressive levels, but the air is still thick and heavy. The dog marks his appreciation for the dip by shaking off a cloud of water right beside his minder. The scene is an idyllic, if common, moment. Man. Dog. Ball. Slobber. Gun. Badge. The latter two might not be commonplace, but they're what set Const. Ross Findlay and his partner, Kanto, apart. Plus, they're on duty. While some of their fellow officers can cool off in a coffee shop or pull on some striped cargo shorts for a bike patrol, Kanto doesn't have that option. But Findlay's unmarked SUV does have some special features built-in to keep his partner from turning into a hotdog. There are fans built into two rear windows, pulling in strong drafts of air to the rear compartment, plus internal fans that keep it circulating. The heavy-duty air conditioning can run when he's away from his vehicle, as a secure idle system allows the vehicle to remain running to keep the interior cool while maintaining security. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. There is also a temperature monitoring system for the truck with a dedicated control panel; it will alert Findlay if the car is getting too hot by honking and flashing the lights, or by buzzing a remote he keeps with him if he's out of earshot. The cruiser also has literal buckets of water for Kanto to drink. But nothing beats a splash in the creek. 'They're gonna get out of the truck and a chance to lay in the shade or something a handful of times a day,' said Findlay, 'but in the peak of the summer like this, on day shifts, I'm getting him out once a day for a swim.' Police Service Dog Kanto peers out from the back of his ride beside Const. Ross Findlay. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PNG The location of their secret spot, close to a major highway, will remain unreported, lest Findlay draw the ire of his fellow dog-handlers who also frequent it — and there are many of them. The Lower Mainland District Integrated Police Dog Service (LMD IPDS) is the largest in Canada, and one of the biggest overall in North America, with 48 pairings that provides 24/7 coverage to five cities and 28 RCMP-policed communities. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The joint RCMP and municipal police program answers more than 10,000 calls per year, from the Lower Mainland, to Pemberton, to Boston Bar. Findlay, a member of the IPDS for seven of his 15 years in law enforcement, is with the New Westminster police. He's been paired with Kanto since he was a puppy, his first canine partner. 'It's different. They don't talk as much,' he laughed, when asked the difference between having a canine and a human partner. 'They are good listeners. He listens very well, actually. 'It's a perfect job. We get paid to hang out with a dog all day. And they're our best friend, right?' All of the RCMP's dogs come from the same place — Innisfail, Alta., where they have established a formal breeding program for German shepherds that's now into its 25th year. The Police Dog Service Training Centre (PDSTC) sees 50 per cent of their puppies become working dogs; when they bought puppies before, only one-in-six would make the cut. When Findlay — who was, ironically, studying to be a veterinarian in university before switching to law enforcement — first met Kanto, he was sure he would be one of them. 'My first impression was, 'Well, I've got a lot of work to do, to get him to like me.' Understandable. He was just put on a plane and in a truck, and then came out to me,' he said. 'But I could tell he was … from the second we started doing a little bit of training. I'm like, 'Oh, he's a strong dog. He's gonna be worth it when we get to a good place.' ' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Step 1 was just getting used to each other. Findlay would just sit in Kanto's dog run for hours on end, sometimes just reading a book. Then he added in some hand-feeding. And the bond began to grow. 'Animals, they're not machines. They're like us. They need the time to bond and build that trust,' he said. 'Some are quicker than others. He took a while. It was probably a good six, seven, eight months until he started to like me … It's a unique experience. Building that bond can take a long time, a lot of one-on-one time, just immersing yourselves kind of together. They're going to become your best friend and partner. So it just takes time.' Now, they're experts at communicating with each other. A tongue click from Findlay, a verbal command or even body language gets his point across. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But some day in the not-too-distant future, Findlay will be starting with a new dog, as Kanto — who turns eight in September — is closing in on retirement age. He's lived with his handler for most of his life, but now will get a new appreciation for the couch and the hearth instead of the back of a black Chevy Tahoe. Findlay says he'll probably still come for rides in a non-working capacity, and fully expects him to be a 'bull in a china shop' — he'll make sure anything of value is put away — for the first few weeks of his retired life before settling in. Ross Findlay walks with Kanto, then a puppy, during a 2022 event in Surrey. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PNG Then there will be his new role: pet. 'He likes me. He likes my wife. And then my two kids (one and four); it's been a good progression since they were born,' he said. 'Now it's at the point where they can pet him a little bit, and he's fine with it, but you can just tell by his body language, 'Like, why are you touching me?' ' You know, as pesky little siblings can be. 'I think he just sees me as dad. Not an alpha. Not a food source. It's just … 'That's dad,' ' said Findlay, joking that he has better success getting his partner to heed his wishes than his children. 'Kanto knows to listen. You only have to tell him once. Kids, they may take a couple times.' jadams@ Read More Vancouver Whitecaps BC Lions Vancouver Whitecaps NHL Vancouver Whitecaps
