Handlers from across Canada to honour fallen B.C. canine cop

Canadian Press
Published: Monday, February 06, 2006

VANCOUVER (CP) -- Dog handlers from as far away as Thunder Bay, Ont., were expected to join Vancouver's mayor and police chief at a memorial service today for Nitro, the Vancouver police dog who died in the line of duty last month.

On Sunday, Vancouver Police Department spokesman Const. Howard Chow said there has been an overwhelming show of public support for the fallen dog, with people sending cards,e-mails and even leaving flowers on a fence near the police kennel.

On Sunday, there were 185 messages of condolence left on a department web page set up for the dog and 865 different users had logged on to read what had been written.

"The outpouring from the public has been phenomenal," Chow said on Sunday.

He said today's service will not only be a chance to honour Nitro, but also to recognize the work police dogs do on a regular basis.

Nitro, an 8 1/2-year-old German shepherd, died after he was dragged under a train while chasing a suspected car thief.

The dog had been with the VPD dog squad since April 1999, and had been involved in hundreds of arrests with his handler, Const. Howard Rutter.

Chow said today's memorial service will feature a procession and a tribute video to Nitro. It is expected to last about one hour, he said.

Chow said he did not know how many people will attend but there is seating for 800, and handlers from Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay have all said they will be coming.