It was indeed a rare treat for spectators at the Republic Day parade 2012 to watch sniffer dogs marching with the a tableau of the Army’s Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC), which is celebrating its Golden Jubilee.
A trained dog and its handler together form a unique team. Understanding each other’s signals very well, they have proved to be invaluable in a range of operations from counter-terrorism to even rescue and relief following disasters. Some of the countless instances of valour and bravery of these silent warriors, force multipliers of the Armed Forces and saviours of many human lives are worth mentioning.
Passengers travelling in a fully-loaded coach from Srinagar to Jammu on July 29, 2011, were unaware that two among them were terrorists planning to blow up the bus. At Quazigund halt for lunch break, two individuals did not board the bus, which waited for 20 minutes and finally moved on. At about 3.30 pm, the passengers reported to the bus driver and co-driver about the presence of an unattended bag on the seats of the two missing passengers. The driver and co-driver immediately stopped the bus and inspected the bag to find that there were three cookers with wires.
The nearby Rashtriya Rifles Battalion and superintendent of police Kulgam were informed immediately and shortly after arrived dafadar (dafadar is equivalent of havildar in cavalry and veterinary units, ADT (Army dog trainer) Suresh Chandra of the Army Dog Unit and explosive-detection dog Happy, who promptly indicated the presence of explosives in the bag.
At 5.20 pm, the bomb disposal team of the CRPF reached the spot and recovered RDX, TNT and three IEDs. Approximately 2 kg of explosives in each of the three cookers.
On July 9, 2011 an intelligence input was received from some Rashtriya Rifles sources about the presence of terrorists in the nearby village. In a joint operation launched to nab them, acting lance dafadar (ADT) Manoj Kumar of an Army dog unit came with Chimney, an extremely dependable and well-trained dog in tracking human scent. During the search operation, Chimney and Manoj, supported by infantry troops trekked for almost 20 hours in the most inhospitable terrain to reach the location where the terrorists had taken refuge. After a fierce gunfight, the troops were able to eliminate the terrorists. Chimney and Manoj both sustained injuries owing to falls while trekking in the rocky outcrops but the determination and will to win conquered the distress.
Mini, a black Labrador of the explosives detection wing of an Army dog unit was awarded the Chief of Army Staff’s commendation card for sniffing out two IEDs in the jungles of Poonch district, (J&K), during a counter-terrorism operation in 2009. Highly-alert Mini, with her handler Devi Dayal, was part of the operation conducted by Rashtriya Rifles at Haryana Ridge area on March 13 2009, when she detected the two well-camouflaged bombs placed to inflict maximum casualties on soldiers.
Rex, a recipient of GOC-in-C Northern Command’s Commendation Card for his outstanding and exemplary performance against the Pakistan Army sponsored and supported terrorists was a golden Labrador born on February 25, 1993 at Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College, Meerut. After a year’s training, he was posted at an Army dog unit under the Delta Force and assigned the areas adjoining the town of Bhaderwah, J&K, to help troops in trailing and tracking terrorists.
In March 1995, while operating with troops of the Rashtriya Rifles in the jungles of Badrot, south of Bhaderwah, he tracked a militant injured in an encounter. In a chase that lasted for over four hours, he managed to recover one AK-56 rifle and an haversack containing 92 rounds.
In April 1998, out on a patrol in Gulgandhar, J&K, security forces killed two dreaded terrorists and badly injured one, who managed to escape. Picking up his scent, Rex went on the trail moving speedily and stealthily over strenuous mountains. After tracking for over 2 km, he succeeded in tracing out the body of the militant in a hideout where he had succumbed to his injuries. Let out on yet another “trial” with the Quick Reaction Team of 25 RR in Daraba near Rajouri, Rex suffered a fall and sustained serious intestinal injuries. He was evacuated to the nearest Army veterinary hospital where he developed acute gastro-enteritis and finally succumbed on September 22, 1999.
“War dogs” have been used in warfare throughout history. Long before the invention of gunpowder, military forces of the Roman Empire used dogs gathered in columns, many of them clad in armour and spiked collars. The English were known to have equipped their dogs with long spikes placed over their heads and had them charge forward to attack the enemy’s cavalry. Britain also used Mastiffs in 55 BC to fight Caesar’s invading armies.
Napoleon was probably the first one to make use of the superior senses of dogs to get warned of impending attacks. In Dalmatia, a Croatian seaside province, from where the black-dotted breed got its name, Dalmatian, these dogs were used to warn of approaching Turks from Croatia. The Germans trained dogs for scout duty with infantry patrols and to give warning of an enemy’s approach. Dogs were also used to ferry messages between front-line fighters and headquarters to the rear of the fighting. The Belgians and Russians followed closely behind the Germans in their use of military dogs. The French used dogs for transportation purposes, mainly for pulling light carts carrying food and supplies. With a canine training centre at Fontainebleau, it was also rumoured that the French government encouraged the experimental use of dogs in areas other than rescue.
In all, many European countries continued with the use of dogs in one form or another up until the start of World War I. Germany had, by far, the most experience with training dogs for war. However, France and Great Britain made greater use of them as messengers during WWI. The advantages of using the four-legged messengers were that they were less likely to get captured than a human messenger, and less likely to get shot. Furthermore, sets of dogs were trained to run along the front lines and others to run to the back of the fighting to deliver messages.
At the start of World War I, America had no programme for training dogs, or for that matter, using dogs in any capacity. They, however, made up for it by not only extensively using them but also built the United States War Dogs Memorial, located guarding the gateway to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel, New Jersey, where a bronze statue of a kneeling Vietnam War soldier and his dog are set on a black granite base. There are innumerable historical events recorded to establish the participation of dogs in war.
In World War II more than 2,50,000 war dogs were used by the Allied forces against the Germans. Picking up from history, the Indian Army Veterinary Corps of the pre-Independence British Indian Army commenced its War Dog Training School in 1943 at Babugarh to train dogs in mine detection but closed it after WWII. After Independence, RVC started its dog training wing at RVC Centre and College, which became the Dog Training School and rapidly developed into a world-class dog training faculty making its niche in the modern-day warfare scenario. Last three decades of intense terrorism in the country has enhanced the need of highly-specialised dogs for counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism operations. Always at forefront in the relief operations, these dogs even had raised the hope of life for people trapped underneath the rubble during natural calamities like earthquakes, cloud burst at Leh, floods and tsunami.
Rapid changes in the scenario demanded adoption of innovative modification in the training methodologies. At a national seminar on “Canines As Force Multipliers In War Against Terrorism”, organised by RVC Centre and College, Meerut, on March 28-29, 2011, speakers and panellists from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Protection Group, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Special Services Bureau, Special Frontier Force and National Disaster Relief Force, all of which use highly-trained dogs, elaborated on issues and aspects of employment of dogs in various operations.
The seminar deliberated on issues of scenario based training, adoption of innovative training methodologies, utilisation of modern training aids in enhancing operational flexibility and proactive approach towards disaster management scenarios. It proved to be a valuable platform for the exchange of views, experiences and understanding on issues related to use of dogs in various operational situation. Being the first seminar of its kind, the deliberations and the benefits which are likely to accrue will form the backbone for their futuristic use in operations in the armed forces as well as better co-ordination with other security agencies involved in the safety of the nation.