INNISFAIL, AB, May 13, 2026 /CNW/ - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Name the Puppy contest.

The contest ran from February 25 to March 26, and invited kids aged 4 to 14, across Canada to send their name suggestions for the first 13 puppies born at the Police Dog Services Training Centre (PDSTC) in 2026. 

This year, all names had to start with the letter "B". There were over 14,000 online entries! After a review of all the names, we are pleased to announce this year's amazing winning entries:

• Beckett – Georgia Hannay (British Columbia)
• Brynn – Vera Scheyk (Alberta)
• Bolt – Kaiden Farrell (Saskatchewan)
• Bodhi – Parker Beaton (Manitoba)
• Billie – Eliya Brannan (Ontario)
• Balou – Tommy De Sève (Quebec)
• Bandit – Violet Davenport (New Brunswick)
• Banjo – Noah Hobson (Nova Scotia)
• Blitz – Felix Johnston (PEI)
• Briar – Michelle Colbourne (Newfoundland and Labrador)
• Bounty – Vivian Elias-Maring (Yukon)
• Bravo – Levi Longmire (Northwest Territories)
• Bruno – John Tunguaq (Nunavut)

This annual contest is an opportunity for community engagement across the country and to foster connection with the younger generation. Kids from every province and territory were encouraged to take part and send in creative names that reflect the important role these dogs will have in their careers as Police Service Dogs.

Each of the 13 winners - one from each province and territory - will receive a laminated 8×10-inch photo of the pup they named, a plush dog named Justice and an RCMP water bottle.

While there can only be 13 winners, names not selected for the contest will be considered for other puppies born during the year. For entries of the same name, a draw determined the winner. 

For those who want a head start thinking of names for next year's contest, all names in 2027 must start with the letter "C". 

There will also be four public demonstrations taking place at PDSTC in 2026. For full details visit: https://rcmp.ca/en/police-dogs/public-demonstrations-pdstc

Quotes

Choosing names for our future Police Service Dogs is a very important role. We are thrilled to have kids from across the country help us with this and it is always a highlight to see the submissions start pouring in. From all of us at PDSTC, we'd like to congratulate all winners and thank all participants for taking part in this year's contest. We appreciate your involvement to help us name future police service dogs of the RCMP, and most of all hope you had fun! 

Inspector Shawn Boutin, Officer in Charge of RCMP Police Dog Services

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Link: https://rcmp.ca/en/news/2026/05/4353050

SOURCE Royal Canadian Mounted Police Media Relations and Issues Management