The K9s, police and military dogs, play a vital role in security operations, narcotics detection, and search and rescue missions, but sadly do not receive much public recognition, remaining unseen and unheralded except on very special occasions. Their end days are spent as retired-without-pension stars in shelters- very few are adopted. TreeTake takes a look at the unsung heroes …
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight. It’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain
When it comes to the security of the nation, we are all immensely proud of our armed forces police, and rightly so, for they put their lives on the line to protect us and the country. However, how many of us spare a thought to the furry four-legged creatures who are not human, nor in uniform but play the roles equivalent to a soldier and a security personnel, helping to restore law and order?
The Indian Army first pressed dogs into service in 1959. Shimla raised the first police dog squad of 12 canines in 1957. Uttar Pradesh raised its dog squad in 1962 and Karnataka in 1965. Since then, hundreds of dogs have been given vigorous training and expertise in explosive and, mine detection, tracking, sniffing explosives including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), sniffing contraband items including drugs, assaulting potential targets, and participating in rescue as well as search operations to locate hiding fugitives and terrorists. “Being associated with the police department, they have been an essential part of policing for the past many decades and done exemplary service,” said ex-DGP Vikram Singh.
The elite K9 unit
A police dog, also known as a K9 unit, is a specifically trained dog to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel. These trained dogs have outstanding working abilities and a strong desire to cooperate with their handlers. The most commonly used breeds are German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, but several other breeds are represented as having some unique talents. Basset Hounds, Bloodhounds, and Labrador Retrievers, for example, are known for their tracking, trailing, and detection skills. These breeds are known for their incredible working ability, their desire to cooperate with their handlers, and, in some cases, their tenacity in fighting criminals. Police departments require a dog to first pass basic obedience training. The dogs must be able to respond to and obey the commands of their handler without hesitation for proper control.
There are two common classifications of police K-9s:
Patrol: These dogs are used for patrol duties (officer protection, suspect apprehension, area or building clearance, and security in sensitive or controlled areas. Perhaps the most popular discipline of the police dog is suspect apprehension. Police dogs are trained to bite dangerous suspects and hold them hostage. In many situations, they are the first ones to put their lives at stake and go in against an armed suspect to protect their human counterparts.
Detection: These dogs are used to find either narcotics or explosives.
Dogs have 225 million scent receptors in their noses (compared to a human’s 5 million), and this ability comes in handy in fighting crime. Dogs can often detect various drugs, explosives, accelerants (when investigating arson), and other crime scene evidence. The dogs are able to perform their tasks anywhere and most commonly search airports and border entries for explosives and illegal drugs, large events for explosives, and even civilian vehicles that have been pulled over. Many military dogs can also detect landmines.
Search and rescue
A large part of police work is searching for lost victims, whether kidnapped or missing. Dogs can be trained to find living victims and the remains of deceased humans. They can search through rubble after a devastating explosion, earthquake, or other disaster. They can cover miles and miles of forest looking for a lost hiker or someone buried after an avalanche. Some can even locate the bodies of drowned victims underwater in oceans and lakes. The ability of dogs to cover large areas in a relatively short period provides a great resource when looking for victims. Although human searchers play an irreplaceable role, search and rescue dogs can get the job done with unique precision. According to RS Rathore (Retd), Ex-IG(BSF): “Dogs have a very high power of sense, super detection power and peculiar supremacy of vision. While man can see an angle of 180 degrees, dogs can do it up to 270 degrees. Dogs can detect any unusual movements in crowded public areas and are born with the supernatural capability to hear pin-drop sounds. The agility training is imparted in such a manner that it builds up confidence in dogs to carry on all their special powers without fear or any complex.”
Performance standards of police dogs
The K9 proficiency evaluation test (PET) and K9 behaviour assessment test (BAT) have been devised by the MHA Police K9 cell, a dedicated wing established under the police modernisation division of the home ministry with the mandate of mainstreaming and augmentation of police K9s in the country. The Police K9 cell, which was established within the MHA in 2019, plans to streamline the breeding, training, and selection of dogs. It has set up a proficiency cell to implement a new set of behaviour assessment tests, what it calls the ‘Augmentation of K9s by Licensing as per Accreditation Norms’ (AKLAN). These tests assess the proficiency of pups for police and paramilitary roles. Earlier, there was no model of assessment and only random audits were carried out.
The long-term plan is to let the Central forces assess the proficiency of their working dogs internally every six months and put them through an independent audit on an annual basis. An interesting advantage of the yearly evaluation of the proficiency of trained police dogs is that their testimony shall be admissible in a court of law. This means that the evidence gathered by the canines in the form of narcotics, explosives, etc. detected by them, shall be admissible in a court of law since their proficiency would have been assessed and certified within a legally accepted timeframe. To note, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), with nearly 4,000 canines, are the largest police dog users in the country. Police dogs part of Central para-military forces’ canine squads shall now be evaluated annually based on the ‘K9 proficiency evaluation test’ developed by the home ministry in line with global performance standards. All young dogs will be put through a ‘K9 behaviour assessment test’ at the entry-level to evaluate their suitability for detection purposes, patrol work or both, and are trained accordingly, as per sources in the home ministry.
Training regimen
The latest methodologies and concepts are used for training the dogs in the most humane and kind manner without the use of any coercive methods. The training techniques are based on positive reinforcement and reward.
NTCD: The alma mater of the dog world
The National Training Centre for Dogs was established on April 18, 1970, as a ‘Dog School’ at Tekanpur, Madhya Pradesh. A 22-acre campus housing a complete combo of the training facilities like kennels (both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned accommodations), a breeding centre, a veterinary hospital, and quarantine, rearing units! NTCD is devoted to imparting training to dogs and handlers of various Central and state police forces and other law enforcement agencies of India and friendly foreign nations including Bangladesh and occasionally Nepal, Ghana, Seychelles, Bhutan, Mauritius, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. The Centre is also carrying out selective breeding of Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and newly inducted Indian breeds (Rampur Hound, Mudhol Hound, Rajapalayam). NTCD is the only dog training centre in the country, which is a proud holder of the ‘Centre of Excellence’ status by the Ministry of Home Affairs and ISO:9001 certification.
Overall activities on the campus of NTCD come under three broad categories – training, breeding, and theory classes for dog handlers. Also, at some stage “Refreshers training courses are also very important because we need to constantly maintain (refresh) efficiency, proficiency and performance of both dogs and handlers from time to time,” said R. S. Rathore. “Our agility training site is equipped with modern equipment and accessories. We deeply focus on outdoor training by creating real-life scenarios, as this exercise gives our pooches an exposure to the environment where they would be deployed later on in real,” he explained.
Lifecycle of a K9 dog
A dog’s age when it can begin to work as a police dog is between 12 and 15 months (roughly 1.3 years). That is usually when dogs reach maturity and can concentrate on training. The average working lifespan of a police dog is roughly 8 years, starting from the moment it is enlisted to become a K9 officer.
Procurement and Training
Phase 1: Selection of puppy: Procurement of puppies mainly depends on in-house breeding or through a tendering process from private breeding centres, in exceptional cases, like Bhogadi Kennel Club, Sikanderabad, Telangana. However, only those firms that have the KCI (Kennel Club of India) registration, certificate of availability of imported sire and dam, or from imported lineage as parental stock for breeding- as specified in tender specifications- can apply. The breeder/supplier should have a history of doing scientific breeding and following best practices. For breeding centres, this is a tedious and very technically vetted process. Carefully maintaining the working lines to avoid “inbreeding depression”. Genetic tweaking is done over a period of time to assimilate preferable traits. For this import or countrywide search, or even stud services are resorted to. Every puppy appears for an aptitude test, where it is keenly observed. They are made to run or take rest; in whichever way their potential traits are best exhibited.
Phase 2: Trade identification & puppy foundation training: Based on the Behaviour Assessment Test, starting from puppyhood, a specific trade is assigned to the dog, and the methodology of training is devised. There are mainly two verticals of “trade”- sniffing and patrolling. Sniffers, who actively use their noses, go for explosives, narcotics, crude oil, and mine detection. A new category of sniffers is being trained to detect mobile phone thefts. Patrol dogs are trained for assault, guard, trackers, infantry patrol, and search and rescue operations. After identifying the trade that might be most suitable for the puppy, training for the puppy starts. The time duration for such training ranges from 24 to 36 weeks. For the trade selected- house manners are taught. Other activities include jumps, routine agility sessions, etc. This phase constitutes the analogous preschool phase of the puppy. This outdoor activity is necessary for young pups socialising with various kinds of new sounds and touches. Monitoring the behaviour and temperament of each breed is done right from the puppy stages. Sanjay, a dog handler in Lucknow, said if there was shy behaviour or submissiveness/dominance aggression, it was improved/removed at this early stage of life. Low hurdles, mini tunnels, and other play items installed in the tiny agility park for them helped the puppies get rid of their phobia of objects or obstacles.
Phase 3: The dog is attached to a handler: This association remains intact until the dog dies. This entire formal training- including tactical obedience and trade work- spans six months or 24 weeks in general, extending to 36 weeks for trackers and 10 months for dual-purpose dogs. They are treated like young recruits once they join the NTCD and pass out as soldiers once they complete their training period. Dog handler Sanjay Kumar Singh, Dog Squad, Dog Squad Commissionerate, Police Lines, Lucknow said he voluntarily enrolled for the said course after having served as a constable in Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC). Earlier there were dog squads only in prominent cities like Lucknow, Meerut, etc. Now almost three-fourths of district headquarters in Uttar Pradesh have a dog squad. On every dog, there is a single handler, and if necessary, he is assisted by an assistant.
Daily regime
The training starts at around 5. 30 am and finishes at 6. 30 pm with breaks for rest and meal time. The dogs live in their kennels which include a porch, a room and a courtyard. Each dog has its kennel. Their day begins with a temperature check, followed by ground exercises constituting outdoor classes- including obedience sessions where they are made to obey special commands like ‘sit’, ‘roll’, ‘slip’, etc. Then there are action drills, where the dog apes the handler’s body moves, including salutation. Daily exercises are followed by grooming sessions including combing, nail cutting, checking for ticks, and any medications including injections, nutrition tablets, etc. Thereafter they are served food in their kennel. They undergo their evening drills including parade, grooming, etc. Their last meal is served at 6 pm, after which they go to their kennels.
Privileges of being part of a dog squad
Police dogs, as far as the Uttar Pradesh Police Department is concerned, are paid Rs 425 per day for food, excluding medicines and other needs. This daily allowance may vary from state to state. On their birthdays. these dogs are surprised with special cakes and additionally a special feed of meat of different types. They are rewarded with balls and stuffed toys. Then transportation is available, whenever they have a crime reported. Their living conditions are luxurious and comparable to their other counterparts. Their kennels are well equipped with fans, coolers, and in winter- coats, jackets, blankets, etc. For exemplary services given by any police dog, he/she is occasionally rewarded with an honorary ranking in police services. On retirement, their treatment is enviable even to the humankind. Every dog is taken care of by their handler till their last breadth, as per. Sanjay, the dog handler at Lucknow Police Lines. Until the death of the dog, the handler does not take any other dog under him, so the retired dog’s care is a full-time job for his handler, which they take seriously. They are groomed, fed, and made to exercise and rest as per the requirements of their age.
Post-retirement period
Police dogs who reach their full life expectancy and keep right on chugging are considered geriatric. These dogs may have chronic health conditions or be on long-term medications. Quality of life may start to become a concern for police dogs who reach this stage. K9 life expectancy cannot be accurately predicted. Several factors affect how long a police dog unit works, lives, and when they retire including, dog breed, health status, and job dangers, among others. Aged dogs are given away for adoption to the same handler, because of the chemistry they both share. If adoption does not go through, due to space issues at home or the extra personal cost of maintaining the dog, etc., there are other options too. Secondly, these dogs are given to willing officers and jawans, animal lovers, or schools for children with special needs. Thirdly, the remaining dogs retire to old age homes for police dogs maintained by the forces themselves, where they are taken care of as ex-servicemen.
Considerations in mind while adopting retired police dogs
Life may not always be easy for retired police dogs. It is common for K9s to exhibit negative behaviour such as anxiety, depression, aggression, separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anti-social behaviour. Here are a few things to consider before adopting a police dog: Most retired police dogs are in their senior years, which means more attention and care; It is a huge commitment of time and money. Some K-9s are retired due to injuries or medical problems. Ongoing care expenses are the responsibility of the new owner.
The process of adopting a retired or “failed” police dog is not an easy one.
Ex-DGP Vikram Singh said: “Parting is always painful but sometimes it is inevitable. Police dogs are remarkable creatures, they adapt to their new situation well, setting an example for humans that life must go on. I have not come across any behavioural issue in a dog adopted post-retirement.” On the question of pensioning them off rather than give them for adoption, he said the mechanism of economics was involved.
Dog handler’s side of the story
Usually, animal lovers sign up for the job. They are mainly drafted from among the constables or sub-inspectors, aged 30-35 years, in various forces through an application process. A dog handler’s training is for 9 months at the NTCD. In case of minimum manpower lacking, a shorter training for 3 months or 12 weeks is available. Though there are perks of a stable posting for the constable while serving as a dog handler, unless there is an emotional connection with the animal, they cannot continue longer. The reason is that a dog handler means one has to take care of his dog even when he falls sick. Apart from being an animal lover, he must be physically fit and healthy. The relationship the handler and the dog share is that of a father-son, as per Sanjay. He said even if the dog was sad after a scolding, he would still love back his master the very next moment. So much is the affection that he rates it more than what he gets at home. And it is this “dutiful” son, who would follow all the orders of his “fatherly” handler.
Contribution of police dogs to wildlife protection
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has deployed wildlife sniffer dog squads for the first time in India and it has helped them detect the smuggling of contraband and rare species of wildlife through the railway network. These dogs are trained by the ITBP dog training centre in collaboration with TRAFFIC (a wildlife trade monitoring network) and WWF-India (World Wide Fund for Nature India). The dog training has yielded results and helped in the arrest of poachers and the recovery of wildlife species and their remains. TRAFFIC organization funds the training of the dog until the dog is placed with a handler. Not all forest divisions have dogs stationed, just only the older ones and prominent national parks as of now. In Uttar Pradesh, only Dudhwa National Park and Katarnighat Forest Division have dogs with handlers. Routine check-ups are done at the checkpoints along state highways that pass through the jungles. Other law enforcement agencies, like Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Tiger Protection Force, and Special Task Force work in tandem with the forest officials in terms of information sharing and intelligence tips, as per an official of the Dudhwa administration.
Developments in the pipeline
Increasing workforce: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is planning a three-fold expansion of its canine squads over the next few years. The Police Modernisation Division tasked with equipping the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), recommended augmenting breeding by CAPF dog training and breeding centres to produce 1,000 pups of various breeds each year. The MHA presently acquires around 300 pups a year.
Greater diversity of breeds- push for indigenization: Presently the three major breeds—German Shepherd, Labrador, and Belgian Malinois—will be augmented by several Indian breeds showing great promise at initial training with the CAPFs. The CAPFs are also assessing the suitability of inducting various Indian hounds for police duties. The CRPF is evaluating the Combai dog, native to Tamil Nadu, while the BSF (Border Security Force) is trying out the Rampur Greyhound, native to northern India. The ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) are trying out four species of Himalayan sheep dogs—the Gaddi, Bakharwal, Tibetan Mastiff and Himachali hounds.
This comes along with PM Narendra Modi’s insistence on bringing home more Indian breeds for adoption, under the government’s overall push for “indigenisation”. As per NTCD vets, Indian breeds are excelling at tasks. Apart from being highly agile due to their lean and thin physique, they excel at adaptability compared to foreign breed counterparts, especially in adverse habitats like Naxal areas, mountainous tracks, etc. Earlier there was a perception in the administration as well as dog handlers that indigenous breeds cannot outperform foreign imported breeds. They were considered dim-witted and distracted. This difficulty was compounded due to training manuals being 100 years old compiled by Germans based on the study of their indigenous breeds. However, now NTCD is pioneering techniques for training indigenous breeds.
Street dogs as a force multiplier: Street dogs as per NTCD vet are being eyed for their potential role in “policing our neighbourhoods”. But before that, their well-being is being safeguarded under new Draft rules - The proposed Animal Birth Control Rules, 2022. They have provisions for a monitoring committee that will decide to control the excess population of street dogs through animal birth control programmes in a specific area. In order to resolve the complaints of dog bites or rabid dogs, it suggests setting up an animal helpline by local authorities. Rules also fix the local responsibility of resident welfare associations (RWAs) in feeding community animals in their respective localities, seeking to end day-to-day conflicts between such associations and dog feeders.
Induction of female handlers: Dog handlers in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been an all-male domain until now. BSF and ITBP have inducted women personnel who will be the first among the central paramilitary forces to be trained as handlers for canine squads deployed in various security theatres, including anti-Naxal operations. The CAPF feels women would be more successful in the dog handling domain due to their motherly instincts and feelings of empathy. A stronger argument is the performance of NATO forces where it is observed that dogs were more receptive to the feminine voice, as a dog processes the commands based on frequency alone and therefore, a female voice frequency will enhance trainability.
New roles
The CAPFs are exploring the use of dogs for other tasks, such as fake currency identification and drone detection. They are also training dual-purpose dogs. The CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) is the only CAPF that employs multipurpose canines for counter-Maoist operations. Dual-purpose canines are way ahead because while explosive detection dogs use their nose to work, their natural instinct is also exploited i.e., to attack and defend. There are talks on consideration of modern breeding techniques, such as artificial insemination, and an upgrade in canine training. The CAPFs are coming up with novel ideas to engage retired dogs. Last year, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) decided to utilise the services of its retired combat canines as "therapy dogs" to help in the early recuperation of personnel undergoing medical treatment and also for their specially-abled children.
Stories of Valour
Tiger: The Canine Club of India, a government agency gave Tiger the police dog to the UP police in 2003 when he was 11 months old. He helped the police force in many cases like finding the body of a child in the depths of a mini-canal and tracking criminals deep in the jungle. With his hard work and talent, he was awarded the rank of deputy superintendent of police which is the highest rank a police dog can have.
Fat: A girl child’s body was found lying in the fields of the village in Deva Thana, Barabanki. She had been raped and murdered. The dog handler. Sanjay reached the crime scene as the news spread. The objects found at the crime scene included a diary and a plastic glass. The dog was given the scent of the objects. The dog traced the scent via the fields, through the village to a “locked” house. The dog kept barking. The lock was broken, but none was inside. The dog led the team through the stairs to the terrace. A man was lying on a cot inebriated. Further investigation proved he was the culprit. He was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a child.
Utkal: In Banthara, Lucknow, the body of Pundit’s wife was found in a temple and the donation box was also reported missing. Prima facie. it looked like a robbery. But the dog Utkal, barked after getting a scent. It traced the scent to a nearby field where the pundit of the temple was hiding and the donation box was also located. Further investigation revealed that the pundit had planned the murder since he had secretly married the sister of his wife. The dog handlers say dogs can help more effectively in cracking a case. However, the crime scene should be as intact as possible. Other things that help a canine pick up the scent are murder weapons on the spot and clothing, handkerchiefs or even footprints.
Conclusion
Dogs are emotionally the closest animals to human beings. The single most important thing for them is loyalty, such a difficult virtue to go by these days. Humans having tapped into the intelligence of these animals is a new “high” for this relationship. New role identification is a work in progress and as per experts from NTCD, 80% of their potential of service to humans remains untapped. Post-retirement roles should further be explored to maintain the mental health of these dogs. Post-retirement care of dogs, plus the function of therapy dogs has dual-sided benefits for both humans and the canines.
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