Police Service Dog Honour Roll

On this page

• List of acronyms and abbreviations
• Police Service Dogs
• Police Service Dog Handlers

List of acronyms and abbreviations

ERT

Emergency Response Team

PSD

Police Service Dog

RCMP

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Police Service Dogs

We remember our police dogs killed in the line of duty.

Police Service Dog Handlers

We remember our Police Service Dog handlers who paid the ultimate cost.

Constable Willis Edward Rhodeniser

Constable Rhodeniser was born in Nova Scotia. He was partnered with his dog, Tell, in October, 1938. On August 25, 1939, Nelson Sammy shot and killed his wife and her parents. RCMP were notified and organized to find Sammy. Constable Rhodeniser and Tell were among the searchers. Tell picked up Sammy's scent and followed the trail into the thickly wooded bluff. When Tell indicated his quarry, Rhodeniser ran towards the dog, concerned for his safety. A shot was fired and Rhodeniser was struck by a bullet to the chest. Rhodeniser and other officers returned fire and Sammy was wounded and captured. Rhodeniser, however, was mortally wounded and died in the bush. Tell stayed beside him until his master was taken away by ambulance. His shooter, Nelson Sammy, was convicted of the manslaughter of his wife and her parents as well as for Constable Rhodeniser's murder. Sammy was hanged in July 1940. Constable Rhodeniser was buried at Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.

Constable Richard John Sedgwick

Constable Sedgick served with the Winnipeg City Police for 2 years before joining the force. He was posted to the Kamloops Detachment and then to Penticton. He went to the Dog Section in 1977 and worked with his dog, Max, for 3 years. He was killed by a Dodge Comet that was swerving erratically in the passing lane and overtook Constable Sedgick's police car. As it did, it suddenly veered to its right and side-swiped the police car causing Constable Sedgick to lose control of the vehicle. The police car fishtailed, flipped and skidded into other vehicles. The driver of the car that caused the collision was convicted of criminal negligence causing death and failing to remain at the scene of the accident. Constable Sedgwick was married to Karen and they had two sons. He is buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Constable Michael Joseph Buday

Constable Buday was posted to the Police Dog Service Section of Prince Rupert Sub-Division in June 1984 and was stationed at Terrace, British Columbia. On March 18, 1985, a resident of Whitehorse, Yukon, checked his cabin near Teslin Lake and found that it had been ransacked and much of its contents stolen. While at the scene he observed Michael Eugene Oros attempting to flee across the frozen lake with the stolen goods. The victim alerted members of Teslin Detachment, who immediately chartered an aircraft and flew over the area. Spotting Oros on the froze lake surface, they made a low pass to confirm his identity, and were shot at by the suspect. The search plane broke off its surveillance and the assistance of Emergency Response Teams from Terrace and Prince Rupert was requested. In the morning hours of March 19 the suspect moved onto the open lake surface. The Emergency Response Team (ERT) landed on the lake and deployed in a manner so as to contain Oros. Within 400 yards of these members, he broke from the shoreline and entered the bush. The ERT members, including Constable Michael Buday and his police service dog, Trooper, pursued Oros into the woods. Oros stealthily circled Constable Buday in the bush and shot him from behind, killing him instantly. The remaining ERT members returned the fire and Oros was killed. Constable Buday is buried in Brooks, Alberta.

Corporal James (Jim) Wilbert Gregson Galloway

Corporal Jim Galloway was born on July 26, 1948, in Montreal, Quebec. He joined the RCMP on May 6, 1969. Corporal Galloway's passion was being a dog handler. He helped organize the civilian Search and Rescue Dog Association of Alberta and was a pioneer in search and rescue training methods and cadaver searching. On the night of Corporal Galloway's death, police were warned that Martin Ostopovich was armed with a rifle. When Ostopovich got into his pickup, Corporal Galloway crashed his police vehicle into it in an attempt to get it to roll over but it did not. He got out of his police vehicle and was running for cover when he was shot. Ostopovich was killed in a police shoot out. Corporal Galloway was married with three children and eight grandchildren. He enjoyed fishing and owned small picture framing business.

Constable Dave Joseph Ross

Constable Ross was originally from Victoriaville, Quebec. He was posted to Codiac Detachment in New Brunswick upon graduation from Depot. Constable Ross became a Police Dog Services handler and took a lot of pride in working with his canine partner, Danny. He loved the outdoors and had a passion for tracking and hunting game. He was a devoted and attentive father who also had a great love for dogs, especially German Shepherds. Constable Ross was married to Rachael and they had a son, Austin.

Corporal George Ronald Hawkins

Corporal Hawkins was originally from rural Alberta near Edmonton. He joined the RCMP at 18 and had a very successful career with postings in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Manitoba, as well as with the Musical Ride. He was an expert Dogmaster with an extraordinary devotion to duty and had an outstanding performance record with his police dogs Stoney, Prince and Billy. One career highlight was his and Prince's capture of the murderer of RCMP Constable Neil Bruce (Honour Roll Number 130) in British Columbia. Corporal Hawkins died as a result of encephalitis directly related to a tick bite he suffered while on duty tracking a suspect in the Turtle Mountains in southwest Manitoba. Corporal Hawkins was married to Laverne and they had two children, Wendy and Gregory.