RCMP service dog visits 5-year-old Manitoba boy who named him

WINNIPEG — Five-year-old Jackson Antoniw met face to face with the RCMP service dog he helped name when Hector made a rare school visit.

Jackson came up with the name Hector for one of the pups of the potential police service dogs born at the Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, Alta.

Hector was a hit and was announced a winner in the RCMP’s national Name the Puppy Contest.

READ MORE: RCMP announce winners of 2015 Name the Puppy contest

The young boy from Rossburn, Man., is among 13 winners across Canada. Winners were presented with a photo of the dog they named and a written letter from the officer in charge of police dog services.

But Jackson had a special addition to his prize. Hector and his trainer, Const. Kevin Challoner, made a special visit to Rossburn Elementary School to present Jackson with his prize on June 18.

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“Jackson actually got to meet Hector, which is an extremely rare circumstance,” said Challoner. “It’s not often a dog is stationed to the province in which it was named and then gets to meet the child who named him. It was a privilege to bring Hector to meet Jackson and see the smile on Jackson’s face. They really got along. It was a great moment.”

Jackson shared the moment with all his classmates as well as his family. Everyone got to meet Hector, who’s now back at work, training with Const. Challoner in Thompson.