Winnipeg police pups get new home

Winnipeg's police pups have some doggone nice digs to call home, after enduring a temporary set up ina parking lot for the past three years.

The new 4,500-square-foot, high-securitycanine unit facility is located at 77 Durand Rd., adjacent to the East District police station.

In addition to 11 air-conditioned indoor kennels and attached dog runs, the $1.25-million building features a large community classroom and common area for public demonstrations and office space for the officers in the unit.

Italso features abirthing kennel and indoor puppy run that will serve the police service's in-house breeding program one of the only programs of its kind in Canada which began in 1999.

"The Winnipeg Police Services canine unit attends over 7,000 calls for service annually and does a tremendous job of helping to keep our citizens safe," said Mayor Sam Katz.

"We are thrilled to finally have a permanent and much-deserved facility to serve as home base for this hard-working, specialized unit."

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The canine unit has12 teams, includingnarcotic-detector dogs, explosive-detector dogs, tactical support dogs and several dogs cross-trained in multiple disciplines.

Theunitconsists of 12 officers and 23 Belgian Shepherd service dogs andmakesmore than 350 arrests each year, according to the City of Winnipeg.