Chinee, 11, detected a 7 kg explosive on a bus in Jorhat in Assam in 2013 and saved scores of lives. Bear, 10, worked seven years with the Army in Siachen, braving temperatures that sometimes dropped to minus-40 degree Celsius, and also had a photo op with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Angel, 10, was put on duty at the home of an Indian Army chief from when she was just over a year old.
Today, the three champs — a Labrador retriever, a greater Swiss mountain dog and cocker spaniel — have retired from their military duties, and will spend the rest of their days in the Canine Geriatric Care and Rehabilitation Centre in Meerut’s Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and School.
Until a few years ago, these old service dogs would have been put down, unless they were gallantry awards winners. But after a Court order in 2015, the Ministry of Defence ordered that these canines be rehabilitated. Two centres were formed, one in Meerut and another in Uttarakhand’s Hempur town.
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At RVC, the dogs have a routine that’s a far cry from the gruelling one they had while they were on duty: they wake up early and are taken out for a walk — the first of three every day. They are given a half-hour massage, and fed chapattis, meat, vegetables and curd. They retire to their ‘bedrooms’ that have coolers; and I see that each dog has its own bowl and toys and balls to play with. The canines also get routine vaccinations and medical check-ups.
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At the centre, since it started in 2015, some 140 retired army dogs have been brought in. The eldest dog here is Bacchar, now 14. Service dogs are usually retired at the age of seven or eight, which still leaves them half their life to live at the centre, but they do get paid a nominal ‘pension’ of about ₹15,000, spent on their food and medicines. Many of the dogs have damaged organs because of their constant exposure to gunpowder and chemicals.
Gabbar, a yellow Labrador and a stud who has fathered over 100 pups at RVC, is now 10 and suffers from a kidney infection. As Gabbar is administered glucose, I notice that Rajkumar, the dog-handler, is visibly overcome when the dog doesn’t respond to his name. “He was very active and good-natured. I cannot see him dying,” says Rajkumar. Over the last fortnight, he has seen two other dogs buried, with full guard-of-honour, in the partially completed graveyard in the backyard.
Another handler tells me how he fed 10-year-old Mukul, another Lab, with his hands whenever the dog was sick or sulking. And everyone seems to have a special word for Bear. “He has attitude,” smiles Rajkumar.
Dogs have been integral to the Indian Army since 1960, sniffing out explosives, working as scouts, trackers and guards. Some have been honoured with the country’s top bravery awards for their services, others have died in military operations. Between them, they have a haul of some six Sena medals and one Shaurya Chakra, and over 600 Commendation cards.
The Army now has hundreds of trained dogs, mostly Labradors, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, deployed at various units and for various duties across the country.
RVC trains and breed dogs too. “Our war dogs have done a sterling job in Kashmir, the Northeast and in the Maoist belts,” says Col. Jaivinder Singh, senior instructor, dog training faculty, RVC. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” he quotes Mark Twain. The training starts when the pups are six months old. When they are a year old, they are trained in sniffing, rescuing and other special tasks. They are then placed and have rigorous routines and human company till they retire at eight.
“A dog that has worked continuously for seven or eight years will find it very difficult to stay in a kennel, making them vulnerable to heart diseases and mental trauma,” says Singh. That is why this centre plays an important role. The dogs are also given for adoption, and some 80 dogs have been taken in by civilians and army personnel.
Those looking to adopt these dogs must know that they need a lot of patience, love, care, and housing them can involve money. “We appreciate the fact that people are interested in adopting, but we also follow a certain procedure,” says Singh. The application goes to Army headquarters in Delhi and only when that is approved, can they take home the dog they want. “We keep tabs on the adopted dogs to ensure they are getting all that they require,” says Singh.
Last December, a student from Meerut, Ayush Tyagi, adopted Dolma, a 10-year-old German shepherd, from RVC. “I could not have trained her the way the Army has. Dolma is a calm and obedient dog and follows every command, in Hindi and English,” he says.
I comment to Rajkumar that some of the dogs at the centre look particularly well-fed and a little slothful. “They have done so much for the country. Now it’s time for them to eat and relax,” he says, entirely disapproving of my statement.
The writer is a U.P.-based crime and political journalist with a penchant for human-interest stories.