New police dogs named after fallen officers from B.C., Alberta
Metro Vancouver Transit Police welcomed two new members to its canine unit at a formal badge ceremony Thursday night. While the dogs are new to the force, their names may be familiar.
In a new initiative, the police dogs, who have undergone lengthy training to sniff out guns, ammunition, and explosives on public transit, have been named after fallen police officers.
One of the new members is an 18-month-old black Labrador retriever named Chopper. It’s the nickname of Ryan “Chopper” Masales, an officer with the Abbotsford Police Department who succumbed to a rare form of brain cancer in 2020 at 46 years old.
Masales’ widow, Estelize, and son, Ryder, attended the badge ceremony.
“To see the name Chopper, I’m happy and sad all at the same time,” said Masales. “But very grateful.”
“It makes me feel good because I know they remember my dad,” added Ryder, 10.
The second new police dog is a Harnett, a two-year-old German shorthaired pointer. She’s named after Sgt. Andrew Harnett of the Calgary Police Service, who was struck and killed in the line of duty by a fleeing vehicle during a traffic stop in 2020.
The dogs, along with their handlers, will be kept quite busy.
“The handler team patrols the transit system - buses, SkyTrains, SeaBus - and interact with thousands of commuters every hour in a very hectic and unpredictable environment,” said Sgt. Gord McGuinness of Metro Vancouver Transit Police’s Canine Unit.
It’s through each of those interactions with the public, McGuinness said, that the names and legacies of Chopper and Harnett will live on.
“On any given hour, on any given day, people will hear the names Chopper and Harnett shouted out proudly, echoing throughout the Metro Vancouver transit system as these canines work hard in their service to the public,” said McGuinness.
“(Ryan) was a dog lover. He would have been very honoured if he was here today,” added Masales.
McGuinness also quipped that Chopper is known to be rambunctious at times. Masales said it’s another similarity he shares with his namesake.
“It’s good to see Chopper is a little crazy,” she said jokingly. “That’s very fitting.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
TikTok sues to block prospective U.S. app ban
TikTok sued Tuesday to block a U.S. law that could force a nationwide ban of the popular app, following through on legal threats the company issued after President Joe Biden signed the legislation last month.