Edmonton's animal cruelty investigations unit example for other police services
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Today, the Edmonton unit has 17 animal liaison patrol officers with specific training. The unit works with veterinarians, city animal care and control officers and provincial Crown prosecutors.
It started with a puppy they named Tucker.
In 2017, constables Ilka Cunningham and Ted Dyck with the Edmonton Police Service were sent to an animal cruelty call and found a puppy that had been beaten.
“When we seized (the puppy), I noticed that one of his eyes was quite bloodshot,” Cunningham said.
“We took him to the emergency vet and (the pup) had some trauma to his eye from probably being punched or kicked.”
She said the dog got its name because of how “tuckered out” he looked when they were driving him to the veterinary clinic.
“We had a ride-along with us that day who was holding him in his arms, and the puppy ... melted into his arms and fell asleep.”
The pit bull mix made a full recovery, but Dyck said he and his partner made a lot of mistakes in the investigation.
