Honouring EPS canine killed in line of duty

Saturday marks the 20^th anniversary of the heroic day that Police Service Dog (PSD) Caesar lost his life.

Sgt. Randy Goss, his canine partner Caesar, and a few other units were responding to a call about a man firing rounds from his shotgun in his backyard. When they arrived, the man reportedly pointed the weapon at police and told them he wanted to commit suicide before continuing to fire shots in the air.

He then left the backyard to enter an open field where he could potentially access three different schools.

That’s when the duo sprang into action and Caesar rushed the suspect before he could hurt any students. According to the report, Caesar was almost to the male when he suddenly turned around and fatally shot the dog.

"At that stage of his career, when I lost [Caesar], he was a very streetwise, strong, working dog," Goss said.

Goss had raised the Rottweiler pup from the age of 10 weeks.

"The loss was very emotional."

On October 31, 2015, EPS honoured Caesar and four other PSD canines killed in the line of duty with a statue at the Vallevand Kennel, named after Sgt. Maynard ‘Val’ Vallevand, who helped found Edmonton’s first canine unit.