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Storied career ends for Boomer, top dog at Nanaimo RCMP

Nanaimo RCMP dog Boomer has retired at age nine. “We were never the best-looking team, never the most polished, but we tried hard, trained hard, and gave it all we had every time the phone rang, and we were rewarded with success,” said Const.
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RCMP Const. Clay Wurzinger and police dog Boomer.

Nanaimo RCMP dog Boomer has retired at age nine.

“We were never the best-looking team, never the most polished, but we tried hard, trained hard, and gave it all we had every time the phone rang, and we were rewarded with success,” said Const. Clay Wurzinger, Boomer’s handler.

Wurzinger and Boomer met when the German shepherd puppy was just seven weeks old. Boomer graduated from training in 2012.

The partnership had an impressive list of successes.

In 2014: Boomer and Wurzinger were called to a report of a violent assault of a young female and theft of her vehicle at Vancouver Island University. The two tracked and arrested the suspect.

In 2015: An off-duty police officer was pepper-sprayed in the face after interrupting a break-in at a business. Boomer and Wurzinger tracked the armed suspect, found him hiding nearby, and arrested him.

In 2016: An elderly female had been missing in the Cowichan Valley for days and the prospect of finding her was dim. On Day 5, the duo found her after hours of searching, in 30-degree-plus heat and in difficult terrain. Boomer and Wurzinger received a commendation for their efforts.

In 2017: Wurzinger and Boomer spent hours tracking a suspect wanted in a string of break-and-enter offences. They found him and he was arrested.

In 2018: On their final night on the job together, Wurzinger and Boomer captured a male wanted for several break-and-enter offences. That night also saw them track and capture a suspect wanted in a stabbing.

“Boomer has tracked and captured numerous property thieves, violent offenders, suspects with outstanding warrants, and suspects related to serious assaults,” RCMP said in a statement.

The partners worked together on many missing-persons cases on southern Vancouver Island. They’ve been part of significant seizures of narcotics. Boomer worked with the Vancouver Island emergency response team where he took part in high-risk tracks, and weapons-related calls from Victoria to Port Hardy.

In retirement, Boomer is enjoying life as Wurzinger’s family pet. Wurzinger is training with German shepherd Jerry, his next crime-fighting partner.