Ned’s Wish Welcomes another great spirit and Park Canada Hero the late PC K9 Cazz, Reg # 881. This gorgeous hero with sultry look was a Jack of all trades, transforming from being an avalanche rescuer, to tracking and apprehending a poacher, to proudly demonstrating his skills to the adoring children and fans. Did you know that Cazz and his human, Warden Mike Henderson received a Parks Canada CEO Award?
PC K9 Cazz, Reg # 881 was born at the RCMP Police Dog Training Centre on February 9, 2010. His unique handle was chosen as the “Name the Puppy” Contest winner for that year. Cazz was developed through the RCMP imprinting program on the west coast and paired up with Warden Mike Henderson at Innisfail in summer of 2011.
Cazz was strong in all his profiles, and the team graduated in September 2011, after some polishing work in criminal apprehension, getting calm and consistent releases from what proved to be a formidable bite. Special thanks to retired RCMP Sgt VInce Hammer and retired Staff Sergeant Dave Wilson for their training expertise with Cazz. A big shout out to all the Kennel staff as well for their care and commitment.
Returning to Banff to start work Cazz was almost immediately loaded into the rescue helicopter, flying off to assist Kananaskis Country on a search on Mt. Tyrwhitt. Welcome to the Mountains Cazz!
By 2011 the Parks Canada Warden Service sidearm issue had been resolved, Wardens would be armed but the duties specialized between functions. The dog handling position bridged between the Law Enforcement and Visitor Safety teams, making for a busy operational and training regime. Cazz’s long haired appearance and stable demeanor won over the heart of the Parks Canada Agency during this difficult period of restructuring. He was very effective in all his profiles, and could transition from a hackles up arrest to a dog demo seamlessly. In the summer of 2016, Cazz was flown to Ottawa/Gatineau with Warden Mike Henderson to receive a Parks Canada CEO Award for Exemplary Service. Cazz was awarded for tracking a suspect from a stolen vehicle and successfully apprehending him in the Bow River in November. A very chilly wrestling match indeed.
Other of Cazz’s career highlights included:
- Back track, stake out evidence and arrest of a long term illegal shed antler collector in Banff National Park. Cazz’s work helped illuminate the scope of this illegal commercial activity in Banff.
- Multi-day avalanche search in technical terrain on the ice climb “Polar Circus”
- Multi-Agency search in the Mt Waddington Range – Sera 2 – in enormous and committing terrain.
- Assisting local RCMP detachments and the Roving Traffic Units with CDSA (drug) searches resulting in multiple millions of dollars of narcotic seizures over the span of his career.
- Cazz responded to 454 calls to service including 4 avalanche recoveries during his career.
Cazz’s stable demeanour and successful deployments built trust within the Parks Canada Agency helping to prove the worth of the program, providing strong incentive for successional planning. He was a celebrated and well known dog throughout the entire Bow Valley. Cazz retired with the Hendersons, accompanying them on family trips and thoroughly enjoying hours of stand up paddle boarding. He calmly hung out on the nose of the board enjoying the cool water on hot summer days. He was always along for archery sessions impatiently waiting to find lost arrows that missed the target. Even in retirement, the startup sound of an avalanche transceiver brought instant excitement, and he ski-toured with the family whenever possible. Cazz’s long career resulted in serious back and neck issues in the summer of 2020. To relieve Cazz’s pain, as he was barely able to walk, Cazz was reluctantly laid to sleep, surrounded by family. Cazz will always be remembered as a very successful service dog who made both Parks Canada and the Police Dog Training Centre proud.
We are honoured to welcome you to Ned’s Wish family Cazz. We commend you and your handler for the years of dedicated service and remember you, always.