KOCHI: “Sona, Steffy, Julie, Bravo, Murphy, Jithu…” The roll call is on, and the gingerly dogs of the police ‘K9 Squad’ unit in Tripunithura line up beside their respective handlers. One by one, they give the officer in charge, Sub-inspector M V Mohanan, a crouching ‘salute’.
“I have been a dog lover since childhood,” he beams. “So it gives me great joy to be part of the K9 team.” The unit currently has eight canines; two of them are away for a training course in Haryana. “They are assigned different areas of specialisation – trackers, explosive sniffers, narcotic detectors, etc.,” says Mohanan. “The breeds include the Belgian Malinois, Doberman, and Labrador. Each one has two handlers.”
A dog’s sense of smell is several hundred times stronger than a human, making them excellent trackers. “They can catch scents from dead cells left behind from, say, a crime scene,” says Mohanan. “The explosive sniffer dogs are primarily used for anti-sabotage security checks, especially during VIP visits and functions. They are also deployed whenever there is a bomb threat, and also for post-blast probes.”
A K9 squad dog is ‘selected’ when it is in the womb. During this time, the mother dog receives special care. The pedigree of the dog is thoroughly vetted, and the Kennel Club of India’s certification is mandatory for getting shortlisted, Mohanan explains.
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“The parents must be top dogs with achievements, or a heroic track record,” he says. “Three pups are selected from a litter. Handlers take over once they turn three months old. From that moment, the handler becomes the dog’s parent. Handler stands for – healthy, active, normal, duty, loyalty, education, and responsibilities.”
After multiple training courses, the dogs emerge fearless, ready to obey any command. The handlers explain that fire drills are meant to demonstrate the dogs will not shy away from any daunting challenge.
Mohanan recalls a couple of cases in which K9 dogs played vital roles. “A few years ago, our tracker dog Goldie helped crack a suicide mystery in Maradu. Tracking the victim, the dog led us from a flat to a nearby stream. Two days later, the body washed up on the banks of the river, just a kilometre away,” he says.
Another major case was the bomb blast at the Ernakulam Collectorate in 2009. “There was a lot of confusion about whether it was a fire or a prank. Our anti-sabotage team dogs, Shadow and Santo, detected the presence of explosive chemicals and promptly communicated it to his handler. That’s how we got the first lead that it could be a terror attack,” Mohanan recalls.
Like the men and women in uniform, the officer adds, police dogs are also treated with respect. “If a dog dies while in service, a ceremonial funeral is held. Wreaths are placed on behalf of the unit and the district police chief,” he says. “Dogs which retire from service are given to verified animal welfare clubs or charitable organisations.”