An Oceanside RCMP officer is featured in the 2024 ‘Officers on Pawtrol’ calendar, a major fundraiser for the Balfour’s Friends Foundation (BFF).
Sgt. Shane Worth appears with his five-year-old chocolate lab Rana for the month of January.
BFF provides financial aid for low-income pet owners on Vancouver Island, to help their sick and injured pets receive essential veterinary care and stay together with their families.
Worth and Rana met with a volunteer photographer for shoots at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park.
“It was fun. It was good. We probably spent three hours,” he said. “Getting the sun right and not getting the shadow with my hat because it’s got the big brim. So all these things to consider, and to have a dog who doesn’t want to sit still because it’s at the beach to play.”
Worth found out about the opportunity from a colleague in Victoria. When the topic of dogs came up, his colleague mentioned the calendar and suggested they might be looking for someone.
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The calendar includes police officers from the Victoria, Saanich and Central Saanich police departments, as well as the West Shore, Sidney/North Saanich, Sooke and Oceanside RCMP detachments. In addition to the canine companions, a cat and a pony are featured.
BFF also produces a “Firefighters & Friends” calendar. Both are available for purchase online at balfoursfriends.com/calendars/.
Since 2012, BFF has raised and distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars across Vancouver Island to help low-income individuals such as seniors, persons with disabilities and single parents pay for essential veterinary care.
BFF is a registered charity and is 100 per cent volunteer-based, relying on fundraising, donations and grants.