The RCMP has tragically lost one of their newest recruits.
On Tuesday afternoon, the RCMP in Nova Scotia announced the death of one of their puppy recruits via their Facebook page.
"It is with heavy hearts that the Nova Scotia RCMP announces the passing of one of its most recent puppy recruits," the caption read. The puppy, named Helo, was just 14 weeks old when he passed away from surgical complications on Monday.
The German shepherd puppy is believed to have ingested rocks and rope earlier this month. Despite receiving immediate medical care, the dog required additional procedures to fix internal complications.
Helo and his brother Hamer were born on Oct.4, 2015 at the RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, Alberta. The pair were transferred to Nova Scotia on Dec.1, 2015, where they were both training to be police service dogs. Hamer will continue to train at the centre under the supervision of Constable Tim Reid.
The RCMP training program lasts 17 weeks and sets high standards for its dogs, resulting in a 17 per cent pass rate.
Successful dogs can complete car searches in under three minutes and cost the RCMP less than $1,000 to maintain annually. They typically retire from the RCMP by age seven.
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