Being bitten by a dog isn’t something one would think would make for happy campers, but about 40 youths lined up for the privilege this week.
RCMP youth summer camp is happening all week, and participating youth cadets saw the RCMP Police Dog Services team in action Tuesday, July 4, at Cedar Secondary School.
Herc, an RCMP police services dog, and its handler demonstrated how the dogs are trained to track down suspects and sniff out firearms, explosives, drugs and evidence, and sometimes even lost small items, such as jewelry. The cadets were run through a demonstration of how police dogs track suspects and had to pay attention to what the dog and its handler observed and employed as clues to help the dog do its job.
The cadets were later given an opportunity to experience what it’s like to have a police dog bite down on a protective padded arm guard used as part of the dog’s training, before they moved on to other lessons, which included learning how to handcuff a suspect.
The annual summer camp runs until Friday, July 7.
READ ALSO: Central Island students encouraged to apply to be part of RCMP Youth Camp
chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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