In the wake of the tragic stabbing death of a member of the Edmonton Police Service’s Canine Unit, officials in the provincial and federal governments are reviewing the penalties for those convicted of harming, or killing, a service animal.

Early Monday morning, Police Service Dog Quanto died after he was used to apprehend a suspect officers were pursuing.

That suspect, Paul Joseph Vukmanich, 27, is accused of stabbing the 5-year-old German shepherd – he’s facing a variety of charges including criminal flight, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and cruelty to an animal.

On Tuesday, Federal Justice Minister Peter Mackay spoke out on the issue, saying he’s in support of a private member’s bill that would see anyone who kills a service animal, given a minimum five year sentence.

On the provincial level, Alberta’s Solicitor General Jonathan Denis also supports the private member’s bill, but said the province should look at what can be done for all types of service dogs in Alberta, not just wait for the Federal Government.

Remembering PSD Quanto

A day after PSD Quanto’s violent death, the couple who used to own him said they were shocked to hear about what happened.

Ute Sierig and her husband Peter breed German shepherds, and Quanto was part of a litter born in March, 2008, and Sierig said he was the first puppy they donated to the EPS Canine Unit that same year.

The couple said there were early signs their puppy would be perfect for working with police.

“Quanto, he was a pretty big puppy,” Sierig said. “He bit pretty hard, I can tell you, but that’s what you’re looking for in a puppy for this purpose.

“Everybody that knows us knows that this was our dog.”

While the couple is sad to hear how Quanto died, Sierig said he died doing what he was trained to do – and the couple is planning to donate an eight-week-old puppy, Uran, who is also Quanto’s half-brother.

“We know that nothing will bring Quanto back, and he might be replaceable,” Sierig said. “But not in every way, because he was a very special friend to [Cst. Matt Williamson] and his family, but we would like to donate this puppy.”

Although Uran’s relatives might put him in the running for working with the Canine Unit, Sierig said he will need a lot of training to determine if he can pass the rigorous testing needed to be part of the Canine Unit – a process that takes about two years.

As for the man charged in the case, Vukmanich has been scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, October 15.

With files from Susan Amerongen