New police service dog graduates into care of Ridge Meadows RCMP officer

The latest graduating class of BC RCMP police service dogs included Porter, a young black German Shepherd paired with Ridge Meadow’s own Const. Britteny George.

READ MORE: Newest deployment of B.C. police dogs already sniffing out crime

Porter’s graduating class was one of the biggest the Lower Mainland has ever seen, with seven dogs in total.

“Having seven Police Service Dog teams arrive in the Lower Mainland is one of the most significant deployments in recent years,” said Staff Sgt. Derek King in a press release.

“These teams will improve our ability to respond to calls requiring a police dog and greatly increase the level of service provided to the public.”

Each of these newly graduated police service dogs underwent the thorough course in Innisfail, Alta. After several months of training and testing, they completed their final exams and were dispatched back to the Lower Mainland, where they will serve in their new roles.

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The list of graduated police service dogs includes:

• Porter, paired with Ridge Meadows RCMP Const. Britteny George

• Nugget, paired with Surry RCMP Const. Sascha Falschebner

• Neon, paired with Chilliwack RCMP Const. Jordan Braid

• Norad, paired with Coquitlam RCMP Const. Sebastien Fortin

• Nolan, paired with West Vancouver Police Const. Chris Colgan

• Nuke, paired with West Vancouver Police Const. Lorne Elgar

• Nos, paired with Abbotsford Police Const. David Gronmyr

Congrats to Ridge Meadows RCMP's own Constable Britteny George and PDS dog Porter for the successful completion of their Police Service dog training in the largest deployment to the LMD. Read the release from BC RCMP here; https://t.co/fWdWx3cCzl pic.twitter.com/eJ0OSwFnuo

— Ridge Meadows RCMP (@RidgeRCMP) September 27, 2022

Although George has spent years “imprinting” puppies out of the Ridge Meadows RCMP detachment that would later become certified police dogs, up until recently she had not yet reached the position of RCMP dog handler.

As Ridge Meadows RCMP Const. Julie Klaussner explained, “Porter was the last dog she [George] imprinted, and he became a successful candidate in the Alberta training program when she did too.”

Being promoted to dog handler means that although George no longer works out of the Ridge Meadows RCMP detachment or gets to imprint with numerous adorable puppies, she will get to spend her career serving throughout the Lower Mainland while forming a more long-term bond with Porter.