Backgrounder

Backgrounder - Lower Mainland District Integrated Police Dog Service

March 4, 2026 - Lower Mainland District, British Columbia
From: British Columbia RCMP

Content

The Lower Mainland District Integrated Police Dog Service (LMD IPDS) is responsible for supporting frontline policing, with police dog teams, across the region. They serve the 28 municipalities policed by the RCMP and six municipal policing partners in Surrey, Abbotsford, Delta, New Westminster, Port Moody and West Vancouver. LMD IPDS is the largest Police Dog Service section in Canada and one of the largest in North America. 

The unit is made up of RCMP and municipal dog handlers as part of the integrated team model for specialized policing in the Lower Mainland. All handlers and their dogs go through training at the National Police Dog Service Training Centre (PDSTC) located in Innisfail, Alberta.

The RCMP breeds our own dogs at PDSTC, utilizing pure bred German Shepherds. The three main priorities for PDSTC are to: breed quality working dogs, train human handlers and dogs, and annually validate dog teams. 

The Police Dog Service supports operational policing in the following areas:

• track, search for, and find missing persons
• locate persons buried in an avalanche
• search for human remains
• track and capture suspects fleeing from police
• support the Emergency Response Team with high-risk incidents
• assist investigators in locating evidence related to crimes (discarded weapons and evidence)

The teams are separated into four geographic areas to optimize coverage throughout the Lower Mainland from Pemberton to Boston Bar. LMD IPDS members attend to an average of 10,000 calls for service per year. 

In relation to the 24/7 coverage, the unit is made up of teams, covering day shifts and night shifts to ensure there are always police dog teams available to the region. 

Police officers raise and train Potential Police Service Dogs (puppies) from 7 to 8 weeks old until about 12 to 24 months old. The puppies are tested at approximately four, eight and 12 months old at the PDSTC. Prior to attending PDSTC, the puppies are raised by ‘quarries’ and ‘imprinters’, meaning police officers interested in becoming handlers. At approximately two years old, following extensive training, the team is ready to begin working on the road. The dogs’ careers are typically between five to seven years, depending on profile. As for the handlers, they typically work with two dogs during their career. 

Contacts