Happily oblivious to the raging controversies surrounding the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, 60 incredulously enthusiastic young dogs are training round-the-clock in preparation to sniff any terror threat to the prestigious sporting event two months from now.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police’s elite canine sniffer squad finishes each gruelling day with a well-deserved breather — an unhurried, almost leisurely stroll along the pretty boulevard fringing Chandigarh’s recently renovated Sukhna Lake.
Securely on leash with their handlers, loveable Labradors and stately Alsatians happily mingle with crowds of often surprised evening walkers because dogs are ordinarily not permitted at the lake.
But then these are very special dogs that will save precious lives.
“We bring them here to get them accustomed to being amongst people ahead of the Commonwealth Games where each one of them will be deployed on security duties at stadia and other sporting venues,” said an ITBP jawan who is particularly proud of Pinky — the year-old female Labrador he helped train as a sniffer.
“She can sniff out almost any explosive no matter how cleverly concealed and she is never wrong,” said the young trooper.
As if on cue, Pinky gives every interested passer-by the once over starting every time with a thorough examination of the shoes.
And while they become acclimatised to crowds of people at the Sukhna Lake, the ITBP dogs seem evidently happier with the wide open spaces, the fresh air and the constant breeze.