Election duty for their handlers turns K9’s canines cranky

"Since police dogs are managed by respective handlers from a very young age, they form a bond with the latter and in their absence, the canines can have trouble eating and get distressed," a K9 handler said.

Canines with their handlers Photo | EPS

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Paying scant regard to rules governing police dog handlers, the Thiruvananthapuram Rural police have deployed 10 of their K9 squad members on election duty. There are 24 dog handlers in the rural police district.

The deployed squad members have been posted at buildings where the EVMs (electronic voting machines), to be used in the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala on April 26, have been kept. The drop in the number of handlers has adversely affected the canines, with many of them acting erratic.

Sources said five handlers each from Venjaramoodu and Kanjiramkulam police stations — the two K9 units under the rural police limits — have been deployed on poll duty.

As per a standing order, K9 squad handlers should not be assigned any duty other than those concerning the dogs and their well-being. This order was issued after it was found that posting the handlers, who are tasked with providing regular training to the dogs and taking care of their grooming, feeding and health, on other duties was hindering the timely management and welfare of the canines.

The handlers had initially been posted to seal inter-state border areas, and now, they have been put on guard duty, said a source in the police department. “There are 24 handlers in Thiruvananthapuram rural district, of whom 10 have been posted on guard duty. This has thrown the management of the canines out of gear. Handlers of other dogs now have to take care of these canines in the absence of the handlers,” said a source.

One of the handlers said the absence of assigned trainers has agitated the dogs. “Breeds like the Belgian Malinois do not approve of a newcomer as handler. They get agitated and tend to attack the new trainer. They also go berserk and attack other dogs,” said the handler. Another said some dogs are exhibiting feeding-related issues. Only the Thiruvananthapuram rural police district has deployed the handlers on election duty, said the handler.

“In other districts, the dog handlers have been spared from poll duty, going by the standing order as well as the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the canine squad,” the trainer said.