Indian Army assault dog ‘Zoom,’ succumbed to his injuries during treatment on Thursday, days after he was critically injured in an anti-terror operation in Kokernag area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Zoom, a Malinois or Belgian shepherd, was a little over 2 years old and was active in service for the last eight months.
Zoom was part of the Army’s 28 Army Dog Unit (ADU), and was tasked with clearing the house where terrorists were hiding when during the operation he received two gunshot injuries–on the face and rear right leg– on October 10. The dog, however, continued his task, which resulted in the killing of two terrorists, the Indian Army said in a statement.
The Paw Patrol of the Indian Army
Zoom was not the only dog that died in the line of duty. In July, another assault canine, Axel, was killed in a counter-terrorist operation in the Kashmir valley. He was posthumously awarded ‘Mention-in Despatches’– the highest gallantry award that an army dog is given for services rendered in counter-insurgency operations.
Dogs are man’s best friend and have been an integral part of the Indian Army since 1960. Army has various breeds of dogs in its dog units.
There are reportedly 32 dog units in the Indian Army. Of these, 19 units serve in Northern Command which is responsible for the operation in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Each canine unit has 24 dogs of different breeds, trained to perform different tasks.
These include German Shepherds, Labradors, Great Mountain Swiss Dogs, Belgian Malinois, and even indigenous species such as the Mudhol hound and the Bakharwal.
How Does Army Train Its Paw Petrol?
Amry trains these combat dogs at the Remount Veterinary Corps Centre and College (RVC) in Meerut. These canines are trained to perform a variety of duties including patrolling, sniffing explosives including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), guard duty, assaulting potential targets, mine detection, avalanche debris detection, sniffing contraband items, along with participating in search operations to locate hiding fugitives and terrorists.
The rigorous training of these dogs starts at the facility in Meerut when they are six-month-old pups. After the training, they are assigned a unit, where they follow a daily rigorous routine in the human company before they retire at the age of eight.
Each dog has a human handler, who is responsible for the well-being of the canine and also to guide it through various tasks that he is to perform.
“Our dogs are doing wonderful service for the Army as well as the civil population in city areas. They are being used extensively for explosive detection in Road Opening Party (ROP) duties, and for sanitising any VIP or vulnerable area. They are actively used as the first responders in the operations also.” Wion News quoted Lt Col Abhay Khokhar, Dog Squad, Indian Army as saying in August.
Dogs need New Homes After Retirement
Earlier, these combat dogs were euthanised after the completion of their service in the Indian Army, unless they were gallantry award winners. However, after the intervention from the Delhi High Court in 2015, now these four-legged soldiers are either returned to the Army’s RVC centre in Meerut or taken in by NGOs for adoption so that they can spend the rest of their lives in comfort.
How To Adopt these four-legged heroes?
- To adopt an Amy dog, one has to write an application with an affidavit and sent it by post to Comdt RVC centre and college, Meerut Cantt Meerut 250001.
- After that, the interested person will be notified or contacted by Army after reviewing their application.
- An interview will be arranged before completing the formalities of the adoption process. After the formalities, you can take the soldier dog with you.
Read all the Latest Explainers News and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment