The Dog Squad of the Indian Army is the only Military Unit in the world where dogs are trained for counter-terrorist operations and their handlers. Local villagers hire them in the hinterland and give them free obedience, tracking, and intelligence gathering education. Their skills include sniffing landmines, weapons factories, and buried insurgents. The Dogs have also been used as life-savers by accompanying soldiers on patrol.
The formal establishment of the Dog Squad at Meerut started on January 18, 1961. It was created in 1961 by General K.M. Cariappa, who was then the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The Unit has been instrumental in the operations conducted during the Kargil War and infiltration along the LoC. Still, it has also performed for a long time in counter-terror operations. They train them to track insurgents on their scent, detect explosives and landmines, warn against fire from concealed firing positions, and sniff out gas and smoke grenades and blood trails caused by wounded or dead insurgents.
1. Rex: -
(Born- in 1993 at RVC Centre & School Meerut, Assigned to 14 army dog units, Delta Force
Spec. 4's initial assignment in the Unit was to assist the forces in combating terrorism and other insurgencies along the LoC and the IB. After considerable training, he was posted to a challenging area bordering Pakistan, threatening inter-state conflict and internal war. The enemy was known for using suicide bombs and mines and lightning attacks on deep defences. His Unit always faced high-risk situations due to enemy movements in this area that constantly changed with every counter-operation conducted by security forces.
In one such process in 1995, a militant had gotten seriously injured when security forces cornered him. 4 Special Forces and his partner Rex had tracked the militant for over 3 km in the thick of enemy fire.
The militant was injured and bleeding profusely but continued to engage the forces till he got critically wounded by Rex, who fired upon him. With the protection of his master, Rex chased the fleeing militant through dense forests, swamps, and creeks for over four hours. This chase led to the recovery of one AK 56 rifle with eight magazines, 250 live rounds, and one haversack containing 92 rounds of ammunition.
2. Rock:- (Born- in 1992 at RVC Centre & School Meerut, Assigned to 14 army dog unit, Delta Force
Rock was deployed in the Jammu and Kashmir region in December 1999 and assigned to counterinsurgency (COIN) situations along the LoC. The Army explicitly trusted him with patrolling with 2 Para at night and day and accompanying them on patrol when required. He had a close encounter with one of the infiltrators, who attempted to move towards a suspected enemy bunker between midnight and 1:45 am.
Rock began following him closely, and he managed to corner him inside a house at 2:30 am through manoeuvring. The enemy started firing, forcing Rock to fall back. However, he re-engaged him, and after a brief skirmish, the militant was arrested by the Army without loss of life.
3. Manasi:- (Born- in 1994 at RVC Centre & School Meerut, Assigned to 14 army dog unit, Delta Force
In March 2000, the Army's Delta Force was sent to Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir. Manasi was one of the 21 dogs deployed with force. In August 2015, a four-year-old Army Labrador named Manasi sensed the movement of some militants along the LoC in Kupwara's Tangdhar sector and immediately started dragging her handler Bashir Ahmad towards the target. The search operations took place under poor visibility, and unfortunately, both the dog and handler were killed in a hail of gunfire.
4. 'Langar' dogs:- (Born- in 1999, Assigned to 14 army dog units, Delta Force
Uday Singh Rajput and his dog 'Langar' were shot dead by terrorists on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir on August 8, 2015. He was killed while engaging a group of five terrorists. He used his canine skills to pick up the terrorists' scents and track them for two days before being killed by them.
5. Talu: Born- in 2005 at RVC Centre & School Meerut, Assigned to 14 army dog units, Delta Force
Talu was the first deployed dog with the Indian Army's Fox-Delta Force. He served with this Unit in Kashmir Valley until 2014, when he was deployed along the Indo-Pak border. He has demonstrated exceptional skills and made innumerable contributions to his Unit's operations. His handler, havaldar Chinta Ram, said: "His nose works like a magnet. It never fails him. He always makes it work by scenting a suicide bomber or finding a hidden assault position."
On this Independence day, we are proud to give these doggos of the Indian Army's Dog Squad a salute. Also, in their honour we are running a sitewide discount on dog supplies and you should not miss this out. Grab 15% off at our MMP Store on Dog Supplies and Dog Food. Don't miss this pet parents !
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