Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

COOPER FAMILY FOUNDATION

Search dog training facility almost ready to open in Kamloops

Mar 25, 2022 | 3:45 PM

KAMLOOPS — In 2019, the Cooper Family Foundation announced they were investing over $40 million dollars in the North Shore. That number included the construction of the Catalpa community on Ord Road near the airport and the renovation of a property on 8th Street that once housed Soccer Quest, as well as a pub and a bowling alley. On Friday, CFJC Today got a sneak peek at the new facility.

Mike Ritcey and his dog, Ranger, are testing out the training space in the new Search, Rescue, and Detection (SRD) K9s of BC headquarters.

“The people that come in here all say this is way too nice for a dog training centre,” Ritcey, President of SRD K9s of BC explains. “Most people are used to training inside a garage or something. Talk about a safe place to train your dog.”

The space has been tailored to suit the needs of SRD K9s of BC, which plans to turn the facility into a central hub for all things canine.

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“We’re going to have quite a group of people using [this facility,” Ritcey says. “It won’t be just professional dogs. It’ll be people with petty dogs and sporting dogs. It’ll be incredible.”

The facility is being funded by the Cooper Family Foundation, through the Catapla development on Ord Road. Originally, Kamloops Search and Rescue (KSAR) was going to share the space with the K9 facility.

“Unfortunately, within the last couple of months, it was brought to our attention that with the brand new Board of Directors with Kamloops Search and Rescue, they’ve decided to take a different direction. Their vision has changed,” Dever tells CFJC Today. “We have to honour what their wishes are and I wish them all the best.”

Kamloops Search and Rescue declined to comment on the story. That decision means the SRD K9s of BC will have the whole place to themselves.

“Originally it was 12,000 square feet. Right now, we’ve got 3,000 square feet of bays that we’re going to be sorting out over the next couple of months,” Dever says. “It’s still 9,000 square feet, which is a very, very large facility. You’re going to see everything K9 on the North Shore, and we’re really excited about it.”

Now that construction is nearly complete, the centre will be outfitted with a wide array of specialized training equipment for dogs. There are also lecture halls, grooming areas, and even the hallways have been designed with dogs in mind.

“Anybody that has any interest in dogs, or what dogs do, this will be the hub for people to come from all over,” Ritcey says.

There are also plans for a mix of commercial and office spaces in the renovated facility. The SRD K9s of BC facility should be open in May.