RCMP adds second police dog for P.E.I.

RCMP on P.E.I. just got bigger, and a little furrier too, thanks to the transfer of a team from B.C.

Cst. Kristian Thomsen is the new officer, and he's bringing along his canine partner, Fleck.

That doubles the size of the Island's Police Dog Service.

Thomsen and Fleck join Cpl. Marc Priard and his partner, Dutch, the RCMP announced in a press release.

Fleck and Thomsen will provide some specific talents, as the pair specializes in bomb and explosive detection.

They'll also join in the tracking work, with both dogs trained to search for missing people, and tracking suspects.

Dutch, who has four years of service in P.E.I., specializes in drug detection.

RCMP dogs are typically purebred German shepherds, and are trained along with their handler at the Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, Alberta.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS|P.E.I. capital budget includes significant spending boost
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS|Bright idea: Maritime Electric launches LED light campaign