Royal Canadian Mounted Police sponsor dog film

18 Mar 08

The Leader Post of Regina (Canada) reported on 17 March 2008 that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have launched a special historical documentary on the relationship between the RCMP and dogs from the 1930s onwards. The educational video entitled ‘More Than Just An Officer’s Best Friend’ tells the history of dogs in the employ of the RCMP. Woof!

Cpl. Chris Lohnes, currently the RCMP dog handler stationed in the Yorkton Rural Detachment, had the germ of an idea while stationed in Newfoundland. Since then seven years have passed, but the project has finally been finished — to everyone’s superwoof satisfaction.

Cpl. Lohnes, while in the Maritime province of Newfoundland, was doing 50 to 75 school visits a year. Plus his regualr duties. So no wonder he couldn’t get to every school that invited him. Hence the idea for the video as this would give schools and students insight into the RCMP’s use of dogs.

When Lohnes was transferred to Yorkton, the project began to gather momentum. He teamed with Sacred Heart High School, enlisting students in the Communication Production Technology (CPT) class to help create the video.

Sarah Todas was among the students to help from the start of the program until her graduation in 2005. “The project literally started with a box of binders,” she said, recalling one of the first acts of getting the video off the ground was digging through binders to sort and select still photographs.

As the project gained momentum, and people associated with the RCMP and the canine service in particular learned of Lohnes’ efforts, more material poured in. “I was getting boxes of material sent to me,” he said.

While the material was primarily sought as background and documentation for the video, it also became material that helped grow the historic collection at the RCMP Museum in Regina. “We quadrupled the information (on dogs) at the museum,” said Lohnes. Woof!

Then the video production was carried out by what was truly a community effort. While the CPT students at Sacred Heart played the lead role, students in the school’s animation class offered their expertise, as did others beyond the school doors. A local radio anchor narrated the film.

Carmen Harry, the curator of the RCMP Museum, former dog handler Kenn Barker, and a number of RCMP officers were interviewed for the video, and several dog demonstrations depicting searching for lost people, drugs and other police work also were filmed. Chief Supt. Everett Summerfield of the RCMP said the community involvement on the project was impressive. “I thought the kids just did an exceptional job,” he said.

The film begins with a brief history of the RCMP, then focuses on the force’s use of dogs dating back to the 1930s. Cpl. Lohnes said he, too, likes the finished product, adding with a smile the long process behind it “was a lot of work.”

Lohnes said the film is excellent for students; that was the goal, and the reason he enlisted a school to help. He said the idea was if students created “something that interested them, then in turn it would interest other students.”

Darcy Todas, a teacher at the school, was the film’s producer. He said the finished 55-minute piece was something of which all those involved could be proud. He added from an educational perspective the students learned what is a great life lesson of persevering through a long process. He said it was good for students “to see a project through from concept to the end,” adding it was a case of “taking small bites out of something really large, and in time you’ll finish it off.”

The video will be distributed to each of the roughly 140 RCMP dog handlers in Canada. As well, each of the approximately 150 RCMP detachments in Saskatchewan will get one to use as an educational tool.

SuperWoof to the RCMP and their community-spirited working dog film!

Woof! Archie, a dog who is still looking to find his path to a career….