HALIFAX — The RCMP have launched a cuteness offensive in Nova Scotia.
Their weapon of choice? Puppies.
For the next 12 months, the police force will be posting photos, videos and text online to document the progress of their latest recruits: two, 10-week-old German shepherd puppies.
The dogs — Helo and Hamer (pronounced Hammer) — recently arrived in Nova Scotia from the Police Dog Service Training Centre in central Alberta, the one place in Canada where RCMP police dogs are born and trained.
The centre in Innisfail trains both officers and dogs and, once a match is made, it usually lasts for a canine's entire career.
However, before training in Alberta begins, potential police dogs are teamed up with handlers across the country for a 12-month trial period that involves some training and plenty of exposure to the public.
