Police Canine Team

January 7, 2021

Kingston Police revealed in a news release late Wednesday afternoon that they’ve been keeping a four-legged secret for roughly three months.

The force announced it added a second canine unit, with the arrival of police service dog Dak this past October. He is working with Const. Jeff Dickson, while police service dog Bask is working with Sgt. Paul Doak, another veteran canine handler with Kingston Police.

Dak comes from the same breeder in Slovakia that bred Dickson’s former dog, Zeus. Zeus worked successfully on the force for nine years, “and therefore comes from a strong, proven pedigree,” police said.

Dak was born on May 8, 2019, and is a German shepherd and Belgium Malinois mix. He started his training with the Ottawa Police Service in August 2020 before coming to Kingston.

“Dak officially started his service with Kingston Police in December and is trained in tracking, article searches, apprehension/handler protection and building searches,” police said. “He will be trained in drug and firearm detection this coming year.

“Kingston Police is pleased to welcome Dak to our Kingston Police family and look forward to the continued success of the canine unit program.”

Before Bask, Doak, most recently sergeant on the patrol unit, worked with four police service dogs — Scout, Bodey, Indy and Knox — between 2002 and 2014.

Dak’s arrival comes as a surprise as the second canine unit was put on hold during Kingston Police Services Board budget discussions in November 2019. Neither of the new dog purchases were discussed in open session during Kingston Police Services Board meetings.

The force was left with one team following the retirement of Const. Mark McCreary and police service dog Titan in the summer of 2019.

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