MOOSE JAW — For Const. Casey Lea, the ideal shift on the streets of Moose Jaw doesn't begin in isolation in an empty patrol car. It starts with a four-legged partner waiting eagerly in the back, ready to work.
Securing the role of canine handler for the Moose Jaw Police Service was the culmination of a lifelong dream for Lea, a self-described animal lover who grew up surrounded by dogs. Today, he and his German shepherd cross, Mace, form a specialized team.
"I always thought it's the coolest job and the most rewarding," Lea said. "Here in Moose Jaw, we work solo in your car — you're typically always by yourself. So, then I have my partner, Mace, in the car with me."
Getting into the canine unit is no easy feat, Lea said. Officers enter through general duty patrol, learning the foundational aspects of police work. The Moose Jaw Police Service canine unit application process includes an interview, high-stress shooting drills, a physical test and a psychological evaluation, according to a local handler.
When the Moose Jaw Police Service expanded its unit, Lea grabbed the opportunity. After winning the position, the real work began. Lea was paired with Mace, a mature two-year-old German shepherd sourced from the RCMP kennels in Alberta.
Lea and Mace spent an entire summer embedded with the Regina Police Service’s canine team.
"Once I finished my training, I came back to Moose Jaw fully accredited, validated and ready to hit the streets," Lea said.
Today, the Moose Jaw Police Service operates with two active canine teams — Lea with Mace, and officer Curtis Amiot with Draco. A third dog recently entered retirement, a transition that highlights the deep bond between handler and animal.
According to Lea, retired police dogs typically transition into family pets, living out their golden years at home with the officers who held their leashes.
On the job, Mace and Draco serve as vital community assets, but Lea is quick to point out that real-world police work looks very different from what people see on television.
"Hollywood type of stuff suggests a dog can tell your scent from mine," Lea said with a laugh. "He can't. He just detects fresh human scent."
Instead of matching a specific scent to a suspect like a movie bloodhound, patrol dogs are trained to detect any item imprinted with recent human contact. This makes them invaluable for tracking fleeing suspects, locating vulnerable missing persons, and uncovering critical evidence hidden in plain sight.
To illustrate, Lea describes a scenario in an area cluttered with debris, such as the local garbage dump.
"If you threw your car keys out into a field full of garbage, my dog and Draco could go find your car keys and ignore all the garbage," Lea said. "The garbage has been there for days and doesn't have fresh scent on it, but your keys do."
When Mace locates an item, "he would lay down and put his nose right on your car keys, and then I would walk over and find the keys," Lea said.
While German shepherds remain the historic, tried-and-tested breed for intense patrol and apprehension work due to their high energy and motivation, Lea believes the secret to a successful canine unit ultimately comes down to the unique partnership built between the officer and the dog.
For K9 handlers, long hours of training and high-stress calls are entirely worth it for the privilege of driving around with a best friend in the back seat.
