Post by Richard on Feb 8, 2006 3:20:54 GMT -5
Vancouver police dog mourned
Last updated Jan 25 2006 05:00 PM PST
CBC News
A Vancouver police dog was killed on Monday night while trying to stop a suspect who had jumped onto a moving rail car.
Nitro, an eight-year-old German Shepherd, had been with the police department since 1999, always with the same handler, Const. Howard Rutter.
On Monday evening, they began a pursuit of a stolen car in East Vancouver – following the vehicle along Marine Drive into New Westminster.
They caught up with the stolen car near a rail line, where traffic had stopped for a train.
The two suspects ended up fleeing on foot, with Rutter and Nitro still in pursuit. One of the men saw the dog closing in on him and jumped up onto the side of a stationery box car.
The dog jumped up after him and got a grip on the man's leg. The train then started to move, and Nitro lost his grip and fell to his death under its wheels
The two suspects managed to get away. But one man was taken into custody a few hours later.
Twenty-six-year-old Gregg Daniel Pete of Vancouver has been charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000.
Police are still looking for the second man.
Nitro had taken part in hundreds of arrests and is featured in an ICBC auto theft poster campaign, which begins next month. He was also the first police dog named in the police department's "name the puppy" contest.
Police spokesperson Const. Howard Chow says the department is planning a public memorial event at a local armoury next month.
The Vancouver Police Department has 16 dogs. Nitro was the seventh to die in the line of duty since the dog squad was formed in 1957.
Special memorial for police dog
Last updated Feb 7 2006 08:32 AM PST
CBC News
More than 400 police officers from across Canada and the U.S. turned out for a public memorial service for Nitro, a Vancouver police dog killed on the job two weeks ago.
Nitro and his handler Const. Howard Rutter pursued a stolen car from East Vancouver into New Westminster.
There, the suspects ditched the car near a rail line and tried to escape on foot. One jumped up on a box car, and Nitro grabbed his leg.
The train then started to move and the German shepherd fell under the train.
The suspects were later arrested.
"In our online condolence book on our website, we've gotten up towards 2,000 hits alone, and this is just over the last four days."
www.quicktopic.com/35/H/etffJz2EWki4z
Police Chief Jamie Graham told the crowd there is a special bond between an officer and his working dog.
"Some may wonder why we grieve so hard over the loss of a police dog. It's a special kind of grief and one must not feel guilty about the feelings that are present.
"One writer suggested it was just a dog, but that would be like saying it was just a husband, or just a daughter."
The eight-and-a-half-year-old Nitro was only six months away from retirement