Tragic loss for the West Vancouver Police

In August 2008, after a lengthy and exhaustive search, the West Vancouver Police selected the best candidate for the position of Police Service Dog.

PSD ‘Mike’, born in Germany on November 29, 2006, was the successful candidate in the selection process and was subsequently assigned to be partnered with Cst. Jeff Wood.

The Ambleside Tiddlycove Lions Club played an instrumental role by purchasing PSD “Mike”, a gesture truly appreciated by the WVPD.
 

Cst. Wood and PSD ‘Mike’ received formal training with the Vancouver Police Dog Squad and graduated from the program in December of 2008. They were immediately deployed into active service as the West Vancouver Police Department’s newest dog team.

PSD ‘Mike’ and Cst. Wood played an instrumental role while serving the District of West Vancouver; the team has attended many schools and public events demonstrating Police Service Dog skills.

PSD ‘Mike’ participated in over 75 investigations and committed to hundreds of hours of Police Dog training, including qualifying as a narcotics detection dog. Recently PSD ‘Mike’ tracked down two suspects after they had committed a theft at a local business.

Tragically, on January 5, 2012, PSD ‘Mike’ collapsed after a training exercise at the WVPD. He was rushed to the emergency hospital by Cst. Wood and Cst. Tyler Burchynsky, however PSD ‘Mike’ showed no signs of life while a veterinarian and paramedics attempted to revive him. The cause of death is not known at this time, however the preliminary veterinarian opinion suggests that PSD ‘Mike’ may have died as a result of a heart attack.