Not a lot of marriages would thrive on kibbles and scratches. But that's exactly how Joe Hall describes his relationship with Grim, the german shepherd that's been by his side for two years.

"You probably spend more time with your dog than with your spouse," said Hall, who's on his fourth dog in 23 years as a canine unit officer for the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department, in California. "It's a 24-hour commitment."

"It's an incomparable bond," said Roger Rempel, of the New Westminster Police Department, who's still a newlywed with his dog of three weeks, Gunner. "I never thought you could get this close with an animal. When I'm on shift, I spend 12 hours a day with my dog, he's right behind me all the time. When we go into dangerous situations, it's just him and I; there's no one else I can count on."

Hall and Rempel were amongst 22 police dog handlers and their canine companions showing off their unique partnerships at the World Police and Fire Games' police service dog competition at Queen's Park Stadium in New Westminster on Thursday. The day-long event tested the officers' relationship with their partner through a series of trials like obedience, an agility course, sniffing out a hidden quarry, subduing a suspect, and, of course, eating donuts.

While the latter may have been a bit of lighthearted fun, every command, every twitch was regarded with utmost seriousness, said Rempel, who admitted to a bit of extra pressure competing in front of a hometown crowd.

"I know my dog trusts me absolutely, above and beyond anything else," said Rempel, who's on his second dog in his seven years as a dog handler. "He's proven it by some of the things I've asked him to do, stuff he's never been exposed to because he's such a young dog, but he trusts that I'm going to make the right decisions for him."

"The dog keeps your secrets," said Andre Larouche, who's part of the RCMP's Lower Mainland Police Dog Service with his german shepherd, Repo. "The dog is always in a good mood, you don't have to worry that he had a bad night the night before your shift. He always wants to go to work."

While the bond with any one dog may only last a few years before the animal is retired, most canine cops develop a lifelong love for their four-legged partnerships.

"He's a part of my family," said the RCMP's Steph Michaud of her dog of three years, Snyper, as she juggled her newborn daughter on her knee. "I just want my dog to be well-rounded and well-adjusted in all different situations."

"As long as I can keep up with the dog, that's what I want to do," said Larouche who still checks up on his previous dog of eight years, Hammer, now semi-retired doing search and rescue work in Clearwater, Florida. "I have no desire to do anything else. It's more important to me than rank or extra pay."

"LIke most guys, I've always wanted to be a dog handler," said Rempel. "It's the greatest job in the world, outside of maybe flying an F-18 fighter jet. I love dogs and I get to work with a dog every day."

Or, as on Thursday, occasionally play.