The Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) welcomed its 30th-ever four-legged member to the force on Monday as the K9 Unit’s newest police dog received his badge and a grizzled veteran officially retired.
After eight years on the job together, Sgt. Rick Semenuik will now be housing 10-year-old Ymos as a pet instead of a partner.
“I’ve spent more time with him than with my family,” Semenuik said with a laugh. “In canine, your partner is riding with you all the time. Every minute you’re on shift, he’s in that vehicle with you. Every call you’re going to, he’s with you.
“That bond you build, that you form, I don’t know if you can find a tighter bond than that.”
Semenuik said even though the Belgian Malinois is retiring, he hasn’t slowed down and his high drive has been a big part of a very successful career.
Now, LPS is hoping that his replacement is on a similar path.
Zap is now one of four active police dogs working for LPS. His handler, Const. Spencer Hodgson, took on the 24/7 job of a canine unit member last September when his family welcomed the German shepherd into their home.
Now, after completing 20 weeks of training and hitting the streets for the last couple of months, Hodgson said he’s looking forward to a number of years with Zap by his side.
“I will probably be in this unit for the next eight years,” he said. “When I first got into policing, this was the one unit that I actually wanted to get into the most — this was the reason why I got into policing.”
Hodgson said the pair recorded 10 catches in their first two months, as his new partner turned heads with his tracking ability.
“When he starts to track, his shoulders hunch forward and he starts digging, and it’s basically taking me for a ride,” he laughed.
“He’s a phenomenal tracker,” Semenuik agreed. “Each dog has their own strengths — their own areas where they’re extremely strong — and then at the same time, their own areas where they might not be as strong as the other dogs.
“But tracking is definitely one of his strong suits. And tracking really is our bread and butter.”
Zap came to Lethbridge from the Netherlands in 2019 and most of his commands are in Dutch. Hodgson said he does not speak Dutch, but he and Zap understand each other nonetheless.