Bill Tapuska introduced Corporal Bill Hamilton of the Canine Division of the RCMP. Bill has been with the RCMP for 30 years and his current dog, Targo, has been his partner for six years.

Dogs in police service began in the 1900s in Belgium, and 1935 in Alberta. Part of the work is to seek, search, discover and apprehend. Another part is to have the evidence of the dog accepted in courts. Of the 150 dogs currently in service in Canada, 126 are multipurpose and the rest are specialty, often working at airports and other points of entry.

Bill lives in Calgary and serves 18 detachments in southern Alberta. Handlers' responsibilities include training every week, care and condition of the dog, looking after the vehicle, doing paper for files and court, personal fitness, and being on call 24/7.

Targo was brought from Czech Republic and is now 10 years old - near the expected working life. Targo is European stock - being 74 lbs and smaller than the North American stock that is bred for show. Most are male as they are somewhat stronger and more aggressive - and correspondingly longer to train. Hear the groans as we imagine the comparisons to people.

Dog food is regular Purina Proplan, with supplements of flaxseed and glucosamine.

Dogs' sense of smell is estimated to be 700,000 times more sensitive than humans.

An unusual story was searching for a missing inmate in the prison. The dog pointed out where the inmate was hiding in the HVAC ducts. Another story was of tracking escapees in the field area: through woods and rivers for five hours. All in a day's work.

Robyn Braley thanked our guest speaker, mentioning our support and appreciation for the RCMP, cognizant of the recent murder of an officer in Ontario.

reported by Jim Willson