PROVIDENCE – Environmental Police Officer Christopher Duguid and his canine companion, Bear, have been recognized for their successful completion of a RI Department of Corrections Training Academy program. Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit and Department of Corrections Director Ashbel T. Wall, II acknowledged the pair at a program that took place this morning at DEM Headquarters in Providence.
Officer Duguid, along with Bear, took part in the 10-week training program sponsored by Corrections that was led by the Training Academy's chief trainer, Commander Stephen Hauser. Bear is now certified by the North American Police Work Dog Association as a Police Utility Dog, with concentrations in tracking, obedience, aggression control, area search, building search and article search. Officer Duguid, who joined DEM as an environmental police officer in 1999, currently serves as the Division of Law Enforcement's K-9 officer. He has a strong background in field training and BCI and has served as a member of the Division of Law Enforcement's marine unit.
Bear is a one and a half-year old Belgian Malinois that came to Rhode Island from a local kennel club in upstate New York. He was provided to the state at no cost, with the stipulation that he would be given to a police agency. According to the American Kennel Club, the Malinois is an alert, high-energy breed that is commonly used as both a police and military working dog.
The training was received at no cost to the state, thanks to a cooperative agreement between DEM and the Department of Corrections along with grant support from Shikar Safari International and the Burlingame Corporation.