Five of our canine teams just returned home from an escape and evasion exercise with snipers from the Canadian Armed Forces and held at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in eastern Ontario. We’ve enjoyed participating in this joint training for many years and although the location and mission remain the same, the experience and outcome is always different.
The goal of this exercise is to push the abilities of these elite soldiers through realistic training. Three teams of snipers were dropped into different areas of a massive forested area, and with just a compass and map, had to reach a target destination 12 kilometers away in only 5 ½ hours. If that didn’t challenge their skills enough, try doing it with only a 15 minute head start on one of Peel’s finest four legged members who’s been given the command to track you down. In the end, two of the three sniper teams were tracked down and captured, leaving one team to claim victory and the subsequent bragging rights.
Over the three days of training, police officers and military personnel continued building on an already strong and valued relationship by sharing tips, techniques and expertise that everyone will benefit from.
The canine teams that participated in this year’s training were Cst. Jennifer Dagg with PSD Qaybre, Cst. Jay Senechal with PSD Stark, Cst. Kerry Gillard with PSD Ezekiel, Cst. Mario Pittarelli with PSD Kylo and Cst. Jarrett Curtis with PSD Griffin. To see photos of the teams in action, visit our website.
Although we’re the ones who felt privileged to be invited to take part in this dynamic training, it was the Armed Forces exercise co-ordinator that shared, “All of our guys were thrilled about working with you and the work you all do outside of this exercise”.
The feeling is mutual.
