Officer remembers Guelph police dog as partner, friend

A Guelph police officer ismourning the loss of his veteran police dog Nitro after a short battle with cancer.

Nitro, a 10-year-old German shepherd,was trained as a police dog at agetwo, serving the force for eightyears with handler Const. Neil Moulton.

To Moulton, Nitro was both a colleague and a pet. At the end of a work day, Nitrowould hop in the cruiser to head home where the dog became a part of the family.

I trusted that dog with my life.- GuelphPolice Constable Neil Moulton

Moulton and his family would plan holidays around the dog, opting for camping trips where Nitro could easily tag along.

"He's with me 24 hours a day," Moulton said. "In my eight years of work with Nitro I put him in a kennel three times."

Public relations role

Nitro and Moulton trained together to become a part of Guelph Police's three dog K-9 unit in 2007. The pair specialized in discovering firearms and explosives, and were often called on to help other police forces in Southwestern Ontario.

"I trusted that dog with my life," Moulton said.

But most importantly, Moulton said Nitro made Guelph Police more accessible. When they weren't helping find missing people or conducting searches, Nitro andMoultonoften attended community and school events.

"As a police officer, not everybody likes you. Even people that aren't doing anything wrong. Some people are intimidated by the police," said Moulton.

"When I have the dog with me people don't even see that uniform. Ninetyper cent of people then see you as human, little kids will approach you."

Moultonis unsure if he'llcontinuein the K-9 unit after losing Nitro, but he is grateful for the time he had working with the dog on the force.

"That dog loves you unconditionally. It's the best partner to have,"hesaid.