Prince George RCMP Constable Josh Grafton & police dog Azar – photo 250News

Prince George, B.C. – For Constable Josh Grafton, the relationship with his dog Azar truly is a labour of love.

After all, the 10 year veteran of the RCMP not only gets to play with his German Shepherd at home, but also takes him to work as one of just four dog handlers at the force’s Prince George detachment.

He says his first exposure to the world of dog handling came after a violent home invasion involving his grandmother.

“It happened when I was about 16 years old and it was a dog handler that ended up apprehending one of the guys and him and I remain friends to this day.”

Professionally, Grafton became involved in the dog handler volunteer program while stationed in Fort St. James which eventually led to his acceptance to the dog handler program in Innisfail, Alberta.

“It’s about a week long course. Upon completion you start raising dogs for the RCMP. So we may have 50 dogs that are puppy’s of all ages coast to coast right now. Those are all in the backyards of potential dog handlers that want to become dog handlers.”

He met Azar after landing the job of dog handler – when the dog was just shy of two years old.

Following extensive training Grafton says they’ve been working in Prince George together the past four years.

“He’s 6 and a half years old now. He comes home with me every night. Literally it’s bringing your work home with you.”

He says the four Prince George dog handlers share calls from Burns Lake to Valemount, to Mackenzie and Quesnel.

Grafton, who’s single, readily admits they are inseparable.

“I feed him, groom him, exercise him. I do take him on vacations. But if I didn’t have him as a police dog I’d have my own pet. So I get the best of both worlds.”

He also notes Azar has taken his lumps while on the job.

“He got hit by a beer bottle after a domestic assault. The guy was about 6 5′ and 280 pounds, a large man. It was good, Azar took a hit and it taught him a lot about the dangers of the job and he really responded well after that.”

Grafton says Azar is already preparing for retirement adding he’s now training another dog at home named Jager.

He admits Azar will likely have a difficult time adjusting to retirement – especially once Jager starts responding to the calls.

“There’s a huge adjustment. They need to learn how to just relax like normal dogs. I’ve got a partition built in my truck where I can take both dogs (out on calls) and I think I may have to do that.”

But when that day does come, he says it will be Azar’s turn to enjoy the good life.

“They put on a lot more miles than your average house dog. I’m definitely going to hang on to him. I’ve got acreage outside of town and he’s got the run of that.”