Vancouver police are calling on students to help name a pair of pups they’ve dubbed the city’s “cutest crime fighters.”
The department is holding its third “Name the Puppy” contest for the two newest members of their Dog Squad.
The two eight-week old German Shepherd puppies - one brown and black coloured, the other black – are the latest in a line of puppies named by the public.
“Names like ‘Fluffy’ wouldn’t be very appropriate for our section but any suitable name we’re willing to look at,” said Sgt. Ray Wong.
Training lasts three months, with officers teaching the puppies basic obedience as well as tracking and how to detect drugs and explosives.
The canine unit currently has 18 dogs in Vancouver, and the department has also trained dogs for Port Moody and police forces in the United States.
“We check them out at six months and one year and decide if they’ll make good police dogs,” said Wong.
The puppies are brothers from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and have family members who previously served in the Vancouver canine unit.
Police dogs Nitro and Diesel were named by elementary school students in two earlier contests back in 1997 and 2006.
Until they’re named, both dogs go by “Buddy.”
The naming contest is open to kids in Vancouver schools from kindergarten to Grade 7.
The winning class will get a tour of the dog squad facility, as well as meeting the puppies and receiving a demonstration of the dogs’ skills.
Students can submit their ideas to namethepuppy@vpd.ca. The contest runs until midnight on April 17, with the winners announced on April 22.
