From puppy programme to Independence parade

IF you had a bird’s eye view of the police canine officers marching in front of President Christine Kangaloo at the Independence Day parade in the Queen’s Park Savannah, you would have seen them form an arrow pointing to the stars of the show. PC Stephen Orie and his Belgian Malinois, Toni. Much to the crowd’s delight, Toni weaved through his handler’s legs as 16 canine officers marched behind them. Toni’s eyes focused only on his handler. He had his reasons.

“He’s waiting for me to reward him,” says Orie. “He’s watching me because he’s worried he will miss his toy. Toni knows if he looks down, he won’t get the toy. Every time he goes in between my legs, I say 'weave' and he goes through the other side. He’s getting verbal cues, and he doesn’t know when that toy is coming.”

The toy reward is a red, rubber kong on a string, which Toni will bite and play tug-of-war with his handler. And yes, you didn’t see it, but Toni got his reward.

“When we came off the pavilion, I did a quick ‘sit’ and ‘weave’ command with him and he got his toy,” says Orie.

The parade was a family affair. Toni, a Belgian Malinois, is the father of the A-litter puppies, the first police puppies born in October 2020 during the pandemic when the police couldn’t import working dogs.

Eight of Toni’s ten puppies became working police dogs. Alpha and Ammo marched in the parade with him. Alpha got his name from his imposing size; Ammo, got his name because he has one ear that stands up and a second ear that flops forward onto his face.

“He’s called Ammo because you can only have one bullet in a chamber,” canine officers explained when he was a puppy in Cumuto.

Orie describes Toni as “social, obedient, strong and loyal. He doesn’t want to interact with anyone but his handler. He likes to do obedience and bite work.” He’s a tactical/narcotics detection dog, which means he will chase and catch the bad guys fleeing from him and find illegal drugs. He’s about eight years old.

Eight puppies in total raised by the police appeared in the parade. The others were Blaze, Dera, Gino, Georgia, Ghost and Gilly.

Cpl Kenio James marched with Gino. He did double duty because he organised the officers and dogs for the parade too. He had just returned from vacation when he got a message he had about two weeks to prepare the canine section for the parade.

“I was the most senior officer at the moment, and I had been in every parade since canine started back making an appearance in 2019,” he said.

Before, James, who has been a canine officer for 18 years, had marched with his dog Felix, now retired.

Canine officers began their parade training by learning the routine they came up with and then introducing it to the dogs. Instructor Charles, from the police barracks, helped to shape the final marching skills.

The parade only requires basic obedience. The dogs just have to walk alongside their handlers, but that can be challenging. In the beginning some pull or fidget. The ones you see are those who eventually settled.

Some of the canine officers in the parade once worked in the canine police puppy programme and knew their dogs from birth. WPC Hamilton-Figuero who marched with Dera and WPC Malissa Pierre who worked with Blaze have seen every stage of their working dog’s life. This was Pierre’s first parade, and she took pride in Blaze who marched in his second parade.

She said Blaze, a German Shepherd, was well-behaved and didn’t pull. “Blaze is playful, but quiet. He doesn’t bark or growl. He’s an alpha dog but calm. He’s very possessive of his toy.”

PC Dwayne Johnson also knew his dog Ammo from a puppy. This was Johnson’s first parade.

“It was a nice team experience. Ammo was comfortable. He knew what he had to do and he did it. He wasn’t scared or nervous. He was barking and excited.” He said, “Ammo is a high-energy, playful dog, calm around other dogs and not concerned with them. He’s loyal and confident and knows how to get to his reward.”

PC Keron Woodroffe participated in every Independence Day parade since 2019 with Arci, but this year, Arci was in the hospital for an injured foot. Woodroffe marched with Betty a very energetic dog who worked in Tobago with Sgt Deon Mapp before he died on September 5, 2022.

“We had a good team, and that always makes the experience better,” said Woodroffe.

Cpl Akil Bernard, who first experienced the parade with his dog Cezar in 2019, took last year off because his dog Sheriff couldn’t settle for the march. He returned to the parade this year with his new dog, Georgia, a rambunctious Belgian Malinois from the puppy programme.

“She did exceptionally well,” said Bernard. “It was a nice experience to see how much everyone appreciated the dogs. I feel so proud. The canine section’s work is often not seen by the public. It’s good for them to know we’re there.”

The officers’ biggest concern was not their dogs’ behaviour, but the heat, which is hard on the dogs’ paws.

“The sun was blazing hot,” said Orie.

They only participated in part of the Savannah parade, but they joined the street procession for the first time.

“We did it in two stages from Park to Richmond Street and then from Roxy to Courts,” said Orie.

Officers gave the dogs rest periods in the air-conditioned vehicles that transported them to the parade.

Cpl Rampersad, who works in the Pt Fortin canine section, said on the street, officers meet people who say, I didn’t know we had police dogs. People ask about the breeds. The crowd support is so good – especially the little children.”

Rampersad worked with Fila – the mother of the E and F litter puppies. Only one dog from those litters became a police dog, Faye, but she didn’t march.

“Fila’s hanging up her parade boots and retiring from the police force next year,” said Rampersad.

Fila’s a narcotic detection dog.

“She’s loving, but very territorial everywhere – including her kennel and in a vehicle. She’s a bit aggressive. She tends to flip the switch emotionally very quickly. She’s hard-working and likes to play. Last year down south she had a big find, over 250 kilos of marijuana in a single exercise.”

No one knew what to expect when they started out with eight dogs new to the parade. Some had barely had experiences outside of the confines of their training ground in Cumuto.

“The ‘G’ dogs surprised me,” said James. “They didn’t react to the noise and environment. In the parade, a lot happens at one time. I’m handling my dog Gino. You need to remember your drill; keep your timing, respond when it’s time to break in formation and keep your dog at your side. You have to think about the whole group too, the officers and the dog in front of you and beside you. We’re mindful of the dogs walking on hot asphalt. The place was hot, the uniforms were hot.”

The dogs understood it was another work day; another chance to play with that toy. Canine officers are already thinking of next year.

Rampersad said, “People we talked to along the parade route said, ‘We can’t wait for next year. We ordered some vests for the dogs that say “police" on them. They didn’t come in time, but we’ll have them for next year. We have to do something even more spectacular for the next time.”

The dogs will be fine with whatever their handlers ask them to do because they know their beloved toy will be there in the end.