06 November,2020 10:27 AM IST | New Delhi | IANS
Photo used for representational purpose. Pic/AFP
India's paramilitary forces will have 17 new expert sniffer and assault dogs in their canine squad before the end of 2021. The good news came when ITBP's serving dog Gala, who did anti-sabotage duty at all-weather Atal Tunnel inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rohtang last month, becomes father of these 17 "warrior pups" of the Malinois breed.
Born to fighter moms Olga and Oleshya, the 17 boisterous pups would become complete ITBP âtroopers' in next one year to take on their heroic acts further.
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Malinois dogs have played key role in hunting down pan Al-Qaeda's founder Osama bin Laden, and more recently, Islamic State chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
Also known as Belgian Shepherds, the medium-sized herding dog breed from Belgium is known to be highly intelligent, alert and sensitive.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) used Malinois dogs for the first time in India in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) or Maoist-hit areas in 2009 to sniff out the hiding insurgents and detecting IEDs, helping the force in saving lives of various security personnel deployed in the region.
The ITBP also used these dogs for the security of then visiting US President Barack Obama, as well as for the security of all Indian missions in Afghanistan.
"Thanks to these dogs who secured the ITBP from various ambush operations," were the words of a senior ITBP official, who requested his identity not be revealed, while talking to IANS.
Giving details of the birth of the 17 Malinois pups, the official said that Olga and Oleshya, who are siblings and five years old, gave birth to these pups in the elite National Training Centre for Dogs at Bhanu in Haryana's Panchkula. Olga gave birth to nine pups on September 30 while Oleshya had eight pups on October 4.
Both mothers are counter-insurgency grid veterans, having served in Chhattisgarh, and are enjoying motherhood at the sprawling ITBP K9 Breeding Centre.
The pups' father Gala is currently in ITBP's service.
"Both mothers and father have had a sterling tenure in the CI grid area as well," ITBP spokesperson Vivek Pandey told IANS, informing Oleshya and Olga have a track record of safeguarding the ITBP troopers by sanitising Road Opening Parties (ROPs) and as deterrent to ambushes.
"Both have detected Improvised Explosive Devices numerous times, thereby saving lives."
Gala, the father of the 17 pups, is a tough dog who also loyally escorted the Area Domination Party (ADP) troopers and never failed, Pandey said.
"Gala also did anti-sabotage duty at Atal Tunnel inaugurated by Hon'ble PM recently."
DIG (Vet) Sudhakar Natarajan said "the dogs are genetically top-class pups, from a very robust blood line imbibing the best genetic vigour from the mothers, who are fearless, agile and with a superb olfactory capacity".
"The ITBP has received requests from other CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) for these ITBP pups for their respective security duties."
Natarajan said that ITBP was the first force to deploy Malinois dogs in LWE-hit areas a decade ago, and now they have also started scientifically breeding K9s to meet own demands and provide pups to other CAPFs and state police forces as mandated by Ministry of Home Affairs.
"It was ensured that the pups first get the colostrums from the hero mothers and now are on a diet of semi-solid food and mother's milk. They will be handed over to their handlers after three months. For the next four months, they will be given basic obedience training. And in the next four months, they will be given advanced training," Natarajan told IANS.
He said it will be ensured that the 17 pups will be trained dogs in next one year.
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