POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 33 PANS in the community Milbury is the new K9 officer with the Truro Police Service, coming into the role at the end of August. He spent threeand-a-half months of rigorous training with Onyx before hitting the streets on Dec. 19. "He had all the skills perfected by his previous handler," said the constable. "The training was for me to be able to work the other end of the leash." K9 is something that has always interested Milbury and he applied for the position this past summer. "We're a smaller force and only have one K9 team. I never thought I'd have the opportunity so when I saw the posting, I jumped on it," he said. With Onyx having worked previously with Const. Justin Russell, Milbury said there was a concern about forming a bond of his own. "I already knew a little bit about his personality from his previous handler, but by the end of the first day I knew we were going to hit it off," he said. "It would always be a concern for anybody who re-teams with a fully-trained dog." Over the course of their training, Milbury learned the ins and outs of what the three-year-old German shepherd already knew - human scent, article searches, control and aggression, and obedience. But the training offered an opportunity for something new for both officers - helicopters. Milbury said the Department of Natural Resources deployed a K9 unit from Halifax Regional Police to a remote area, and from that developed a new program. "They recognized a need for developing a relationship between law enforcement and themselves, especially because they're one of the only helicopter resources in the province. Putting a dog in a helicopter is not done every day, so this program was developed to make that familiar to the dogs and us," Milbury explained. Since they've completed their training course, Milbury and Onyx still train together a couple of times each week to keep their skills current. Their first call - an article search following a break and enter - was a successful one. "It's a 24/7 commitment, that's the biggest responsibility. But it's enjoyable," said Milbury. By Raissa Tetanish, Truro Daily News – as originally published on January 12, 2016 Taking the leash By the end of their first training day, Scott Milbury knew he and his partner would hit it off. "It's a 24/7 commitment, that's the biggest responsibility. But it's enjoyable,"
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