St. Thomas, ON – Tuesday September 10th 2024
The St. Thomas Police Service is pleased to announce the new addition of PSD Rocky to our team.
As part of an ongoing modernization effort to ensure the safety and well-being of our community and members, the STPS has implemented the capabilities of a second K9 Team to the Unit. This additional resource will support an enhanced deployment strategy to ensure the increasing demands of frontline policing and investigation are addressed.
The St. Thomas Police Services K9 Unit was formed in 2014. At present, our K9 capabilities now consist of 2 Handlers and 2 dogs. Both teams are comprised of one handler and one general purpose police dog. Our K9 Unit has the capabilities of general purposes and for the search of and detection of narcotics, firearms and explosives. Every Handler is responsible for the care and maintenance of their canine partner. The dog not only works with the officer but becomes part of the officer’s family, living with them if off hours.
Each dog has been chosen for its good health, temperament and training ability. Once selected, the dog is assigned to a handler who must meet certain requirements. Our new Police Services Dog ‘Rocky’ will be partnered with Constable Kyle Beech. This new team has been involved in a rigorous training program over the past 12 weeks with the London Police Service. During this period, Constable Beech and PSD Rocky have been taught obedience, agility, tracking, property/evidence searches, area searches, building searches, handler protection and criminal apprehension.
The St. Thomas Police Service presently uses two Belgian Malinois dogs for our K9 Program.
PSD Rocky is 1.5 years old and didn’t have the easiest start in life. Before he found his way into the heart of the St. Thomas Police Service’s K9 Unit, Rocky was homeless, wandering the streets of Toronto. No one knows exactly where he came from or how he ended up on the streets, but life was tough, and survival wasn’t easy.
The turning point in Rocky’s story came when the Toronto SPCA found him and took him in. For months, he lived there, waiting for someone to see beyond his scrappy exterior and give him a chance. That someone turned out to be not just one person but two—Anthony Hartelaub, a Belgian Malinois breeder, handler, and trainer, and Kelli Rettie, an experienced canine handler and breeder. The moment they laid eyes on Rocky, they saw something others hadn’t: potential.
Even though Rocky had rough edges, Anthony and Kelli knew he was special. They took him in, determined to bring out the best in him. What they found was a dog brimming with strength, courage, and an unstoppable drive—all qualities that could make him an outstanding police dog. They began training him, honing his skills, and pushing him to be the best version of himself. It wasn’t long before Rocky started showing signs that he could excel in ways few had expected.
Around this time in the late winter of 2023, the St. Thomas Police Service was looking to expand our K9 Program. We became aware of Rocky’s potential and decided to confirm his abilities through a series of policing tests. Rocky exceeded expectations, showing grit, intelligence, and adaptability.
Throughout the training program, it was here that Rocky truly blossomed. He learned how to track across all types of surfaces, from city streets to open fields. He mastered building searches, open-area searches, and apprehension techniques to help stop criminals in their tracks. Rocky also became skilled at finding discarded evidence and navigating agility courses with precision and speed. But perhaps the most important thing Rocky learned was obedience—the foundation of any successful police dog.
By the end of his course, Rocky had been certified in all the required areas for police dogs. His once uncertain future as a stray had transformed into a promising career on the front lines, patrolling the streets of St. Thomas alongside his handler.
Though Rocky’s days ahead will be filled with serious work, he hasn’t lost his love for just being a dog. On his days off, he can be found fetching his favorite ball, playing tug-of-war, or simply enjoying some well-earned relaxation.
Rocky’s story is one of triumph over adversity. He’s a dog who just needed the right people to see his potential and a police service willing to take a chance. Today, PSD Rocky is more than just a working dog—he’s a symbol of resilience, a testament to how even the most unlikely underdog can become a hero.
This September, Constable Beech and PSD Rocky will graduate from the training program and join the K9 Unit with Constable James and PSD Axle and the rest of their colleagues on the streets of St. Thomas.
STPS K9 Program timeline:
2014
- Inception of the STPS K9 Program with Constable Sean James and PSD Trax
2017
- PSD Trax retired
- PSD Axle joined Constable Sean James
2024
- Constable Kyle Beech and PSD Rocky join the STPS K9 Unit
