BHANU (Panchkula): You can’t separate care from a woman, and the element of security and protection from her. Eight women personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have committed themselves to nurture a unique bonding with their ponies and dogs to make loyal soldiers out of the animals.
These days the women are learning to move ration and other goods through ponies at border outposts (BOPs).
They have also become dog handlers captaining their K9 teams that will be deployed as Patrol Explosive Detection Dogs (PEDD).
This is the first time the glass ceiling has been broken in the field of dog handling and animal transport in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). The paramilitary force has the distinction of being the first CAPF in the country to induct eight women into the Animal Wing of the force.
They can be deployed anywhere where their audacious ‘soldiers’ can detect explosives and challenge their adversaries in Maoist hideouts in eastern and south-central India.
The women personnel finished their training for dog handling in January this year and will finish their training for animal transport by this weekend.
They will now be deployed with their faithful Malinois dogs that have passed out from the ITBP National Training Centre for Dogs (NTCD) at Basic Training Centre (BTC), Bhanunear Panchkula (Haryana).
“These lovely dogs are named Tuffy, Rony, Spark, Axl, Charlie, Juli, Merry and Anny,’’ said an officer.
Sources said that these women have also been taught horse management, training in the loading of ponies and various aspects of the movement of loaded ponies along with horse riding.
Talking with this newspaper, Ishwar Singh Duhan Inspector General of the Basic Training Centre of ITBP in Bhanu said earlier these women were recruited in the ITBP’s medical, clerical and education cadre.
“These new inductees have undergone vigorous training by developing an understanding with their pups. The pups were trained for three-month basic obedience, learning how to follow commands. Finally, they learn explosive detection for three months. Each day, they are trained for at least six hours,’’ said Duhan.
The officer said dogs are keener to obey the voice command of women than men as women are more caring and loving in nature.
“Our confidence levels have increased tremendously in the handling of the animals. Only through rigorous training, we learn to overcome our fear of a big horse,” said a trainee constable, Pratibha. Aid dogs are keener to obey the voice command of women than men as women are more caring and loving in nature.
Since this National Centre for Training of Dogs and Animals was established by the ITBP at Bhanu around 2,500 dogs of various forces have been trained here.