New Brunswick— Tanker, the therapy dog for Riverview Fire and Rescue, has officially completed his training and is now a certified service animal. Alongside his handler, Lt. Dave Murray, Tanker participated in an intensive law enforcement K-9 course in Columbus, Ohio.
Murray and Tanker returned to New Brunswick two weeks ago after a week of rigorous training. Murray expressed pride in Tanker’s performance, noting the two-year-old miniature golden doodle’s surprising proficiency.
“Tanker did fabulous. He surprised me. I didn’t know what to expect,” said Murray. “He did really well and he showed he knew what he was doing.”
The training sessions began at 8:30 a.m. each day, with Tanker enduring the sweltering heat alongside 13 other dogs. Murray highlighted the challenging conditions they faced.
“It was warm there. It was like the heat we’re having now all the time,” he said.
Tanker learned essential commands and practiced maintaining composure around other animals and loud noises. One notable exercise involved exposure to helicopters at the Columbus Police Department.
“We went to see the helicopters. Had one of those started up 50 feet away from it. They sat there and couldn’t react,” Murray recounted. “They were really good.”
Initially, Tanker was to be the sole Canadian participant, but he was joined by Cst. Donald Wadden of the New Glasgow Regional Police and his miniature golden doodle, Napoleon. The two Maritime dogs excelled, finishing at the top of their class.
“He was rock solid. If you told him to stay he was staying, and the instructor knew that. She placed him in spots where other dogs weren’t being placed because they knew he would stay. So yeah, he did really well,” Murray praised.
Upon returning, Murray and Tanker have taken a brief respite from their typically busy schedule of public appearances. However, they made an exception to visit the Canada Day celebrations in downtown Moncton, thanking the community for their support in fundraising efforts.
“Just to more or less say thank you to the community for helping out, help with the fundraising because we had to do a lot of fundraising and they really stepped up,” Murray explained.
The community’s support was instrumental in making the trip possible. Murray revealed that they needed approximately $4,000, a goal they surpassed thanks to generous contributions from businesses and individuals.
“You can tell the community really does love him because they supported him really well,” said Murray. “It really warmed my heart.”
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