PSD – RCMP SERVICE DOG – Cindy

Regimental Number: 300T

Pillar Location: RCMP SERVICE DOGS / GRC CHIENS DE SERVICE ; Column A

Location: NEAR PSD PILLAR

RCMP SERVICE DOG CINDY - Fell in Line of Duty

Birthdate January 24, 1962

Handler: R.M. Stephens #20360

Cindy was whelped January 24, 1962 in Halifax, Nova Scotia by RCMP Inspector Richard Stone. She was sold to J.R. Matheson of Birch Cove, Nova Scotia as a pup however, due to personal circumstances was donated back to the RCMP Kennels in Ramsayville, Ontario on the 30th of March, 1963. According to the family, she was very protective of the family, but very gentle.

Constable R.M. Stephens, Reg. No. 20360, was teamed with Cindy and began training on May 16th, 1963. Cindy came along very quickly. She was outstanding in her searching and tracking abilities, especially guard and attack work. She was a natural! The first time we tested her with the pistol, she attacked me when I fired the gun. She focused directly on my hand holding the pistol. We knew we had something special.

We left the kennels August 23rd, 1963, posted to Nelson Subdivision, Nelson, B.C. At the time, I was married, had a son. Soon Cindy became a family dog as well as a service dog.

We were responsible for quite a large area, which included both the east and west Kootenays and basically all of the north east of the province. There were 4 Dog masters in the British Columbia at the time. One in the lower mainland, one on Vancouver Island, one in Kamloops and one in the Nelson Subdivision. Fall was our busiest time of the year searching for missing and lost hunters in both east and west Kootenays. We received numerous accolades from some of these hunters. I had one case where I had been called to search for a hunter who had been missing all night. When Cindy found him he was a couple of hundred yards from his camp and very thankful. Another call in June, 1964 to Fernie to search for an 18 month old boy who had wandered away from home in 80 degree Fahrenheit weather. It was a 4 hour trip to Fernie and the boy had been missing well over an hour when I got the call. When I got to the house, I cast Cindy for scent. Immediately she picked up a track heading up the mountain. We found the little boy quite badly sunburned but really happy to see the dog. Cindy licked him and made a big fuss over him. I picked him up and carried him back down to his family. The boy was over joyed and laughing. Of course, mom and dad were very happy.

One evening I had a call to Trail detachment who were asking for assistance with a riot. The members had shut down a dance under the “Lord’s Day Act” which states the dance had to be shut down at midnight on Saturday night. Obviously, the teens and young adults were upset and giving the members a rough time and would not disperse. I arrived with Cindy and with the help of some of the members present, I walked up and told them all to leave and go home or I would turn the dog on them. At that time, Cindy was showing every tooth in her head and growling very aggressively. Needless to say, the riot was over quickly.

I received a call from the Castlegar Detachment that a vehicle had been stolen. The vehicle had crossed the Columbia River on the ferry to the Robson side and had gone off the road. The thief had run from the scene. I arrived on the scene in about half an hour and the scent was quickly picked up by Cindy and we were on the move. We were going up the sand dunes north of Robson which were quite steep and difficult. I knew we were fairly close to the culprit as Cindy was pulling very hard into her tracking harness. We had been tracking for about an hour when I yelled for the person to stop and stand still and got no reply so I turned Cindy loose. In a couple of seconds, I heard a terrible scream and I again yelled “stand still, she won’t hurt you”. Cindy was running circles around him and growling so I called her off and walked him back and released him to detachment members who were waiting back in Robson.

On May 25th, 1965, I received a call from the Corporal in charge of Rossland Detachment regarding an intoxicated man who had chased his wife and his AA sponsor out of his house with a knife and had holed himself up in the house. They requested we do a search of the house to locate the man. We searched the main floor with no results and while searching the 2nd floor, a door to the 3rd floor was opened and we located the man sitting on the stairwell with a double barrel shotgun pointed at the door. The OC closed the door quickly and commanded the person to come out of the stairwell. He replied in the usual manner, negatively. Against my better judgement, I was ordered to send Cindy in to disarm the man. Cindy was killed instantly with a shotgun blast to her chest. I shot the man several times and took the gun away. I attended to Cindy immediately to no avail while the other members took the man into custody. I placed Cindy in the dog wagon. I remember very little of my trip home to Nelson. It is without a doubt the worst experience of my life. It was an honour to have been able to work along side her. She was a perfect example of a Police Service Dog; brave, confident, extremely aggressive and a good team member. Cindy was buried at the Crescent Valley Detachment on the 29th of May, 1965 with a regimental funeral with 4 members in red serge in attendance. The headstone with a bronze plaque was donated by the Provincial Parks branch. Cindy’s name is the first one on the monument in Innisfail, Alberta at the RCMP Police Service Dog Training Kennels. It is fitting that she is on this monument as her grave is no longer recognizable as the property was later sold by the Provincial Government.

On the 10th of September 1965 Lieutenant Governor, Maj. Gen. G.R. Pearkes honoured Cindy by presenting the Commanding Officer’s Commendation to myself, Constable R.M. Stephens for actions in the early morning of May 25, 1965 at Rossland, B.C.

The Force recognized the value of the Police Service dog section in the 1964 Quarterly, Volume No. 29, No. 3, January, 1964 with a picture of Cindy and handler on the cover.

Divisions Served: E Division

Medals and Honours: Commanding Officer’s Commendation

Pillar Location: RCMP SERVICE DOGS / GRC CHIENS DE SERVICE ; Column A

Regimental Number: 300T

Training Division: Ramsayville, Ont.

Home Town: Halifax, N.S.

Engagement Date: August 23rd, 1963