SUBMITTED
Remembering Vimy, the last military police working dog
By MPU Halifax
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of the last military police working dog, Vimy, on the morning of September 13, 2021.
Vimy was named to commemorate the great battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War, which was situated in the north of France. The battle spanned from April 9-12, 1917, and saw more than 10,000 Canadian troops either killed or wounded. The name “Vimy” represented a military nexus to policing, along with a call to service within the Military Police Branch.
Vimy was enrolled into the Military Police Branch in July 2008 after successful completion of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Canine Program with then Cpl Caron. Vimy was trained as a general service police dog for the Military Police Branch. It was a career that lasted for 12 years alongside his partner, WO Caron. Although Vimy was a general service dog, he also had a specialization in narcotic detection.
Vimy and WO Caron trained with the OPP at the beginning of their career. It was in their training that they became certified in a variety of profiles including tracking suspects/missing persons, drug searches, searching ships and officer protection. Vimy and WO Caron worked countless hours with partnered policing agencies such as Halifax Regional Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Border Services Agency, Ontario Provincial Police and Corrections Canada. Vimy and WO Caron helped bridge many relationships with partner police agencies through the K9 program.
Throughout his career, Vimy followed WO Caron with police responsibilities to MPU Halifax (twice) and 2 MP Regiment, Det Petawawa. During the prime of Vimy’s career, Vimy and WO Caron attended, on average, approximately 130 calls of service a year. Vimy was the last serving police dog in the military police branch and retired from duty on March 31, 2020.
Vimy was described by WO Caron often as “highly energetic and highly motivated to work”. He also noted that despite the dog’s energetic side, Vimy also had an attention seeking side to him and was often looking for pets. In the latter part of Vimy’s career, the attention seeking side tended to shine through more, and was often a morale boost to members who saw Vimy on a regular basis at MPU Halifax.
There are many things to celebrate regarding how much of an asset Vimy was to WO Caron and the Military Police Branch as a whole. Vimy will be dearly missed. Military Police Unit Halifax was pleased to serve alongside Vimy and WO Caron. Anyone who would like to send messages, letters, and condolences can forward them to david.bamford@forces.gc.ca.
