Police pamper dog squad's delicate darlings

These delicate darlings are lapping up all the pampering that they are getting, more so due to the merciless mercury levels in the city. They deserve every bit of it, after all, as they assist the police personnel in their key task of crime detection.

Welcome to the royal world of the canine contingent of the Ballari district police. Not only have their kennels been provided with air coolers, they also get to relish tender coconut three days a week. To top it all, they get Glucon-D water and energy boosting drinks, so that they remain fit as a fiddle in their demanding job. All these are, of course, supplements to their daily diet.

The police are providing the dogs these supplements, as per veterinarians’ advice, so that they do not dehydrate in the temperature that has crossed the 40°C mark in the last few days and suffer from health complications. The district police have decided to continue the VIP treatment to the dogs, which started in March, till the end of summer in July, H M D Sardar, inspector of the dog squad of the district police, told Deccan Herald.

“We are looking after these dogs as if they are children. There are variations in the health of the dogs, just like in the case of children due to changes in the weather. So, they need all the cautious care,” he said.

Dogs of breeds like Doberman Pincher and Labrador, which are from countries like Canada and Germany where cold weather prevails, find it difficult to adapt to the harsh heat. Hence, they need a cool atmosphere during summer, says Nikitha, a canine connoisseur.

The dogs have an abode of their own at the District Armed Reserve grounds in the city. Six rooms have been constructed to house dogs here. Each room, with a dimension of 15x8 feet, has a cooler of 16-litre water capacity.

 The canine contingent here comprises seven dogs, including the three-month-old Rana, a Doberman. Of these, three each are being utilised for crime detection and bomb detection. Rana is scheduled for a sojourn to Adugodi in Bengaluru for a training programme next week. The other six dogs are aged between 7 and 10 years.

R Chetan, the district superintendent of police, told Deccan Herald that they were receiving several complaints regarding drug trafficking from the tourism hub of Hampi in Hosapete taluk. A proposal would be sent to the government seeking a specialist dog that can sniff out drugs.