Police sniffer dogs, horses up for adoption

Decision marks the end of centuries-old practice of euthanizing infirm detection animals

LAHORE:

Amidst growing concerns over animal protection, the Punjab Police’s recent decision to give retired sniffer dogs and horses another chance at life, has stirred curiosity among animal lovers, who worry for the fate of detection animals in other security agencies.

 Various security agencies, including the Punjab Police, employ the services of the Labrador dogs, costing Rs 2 million each, for detection purposes, due to their high intelligence and keen sense of smell which allows them to detect hidden explosives and drugs, with an accuracy a thousand times that of the average human.

 Similarly, horses too are used by the police for purposes ranging from crowd control, to search and rescue.

 Historically, the animals when they reached a certain age, were sent to the veterinary doctor, who would euthanize them with a shot of poison since keeping them alive was financially taxing for the government agencies.

 Recently, however, Punjab Police has decided to offer the dogs and horses to non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) for shelter and adoption.

 “The Punjab Police has signed an agreement with an NGO and by September this year, 6 dogs will be assigned to adopting families,” informed Syeda Shehar Bano, Assistant Superintendent of the Police.

 However, animals’ rights activists like Zufishan Anushay, argue that the Punjab Police has almost 60 retired dogs but only 6 have been promised a chance at life.

 “Unfortunately, the practice of killing old dogs and horses still continues in the police, regardless of what the police might portray,” asserted Anushay, who heads an animal rights NGO.

 While it remains to be seen whether the Punjab Police’s plan will go through, an investigation by the Express Tribune revealed that the dogs and horses serving in the police were made to work extra hours, due to which their eyesight, sense of smell and knee health, were all hampered.

 When inquired about the poor treatment of animals when they are in service, Bano, the Assistant Superintendent, rather than giving a satisfactory answer, expressed hope that the animals would like their new home.

 ”We hope that the shelter homes of the NGOs will have trained doctors to monitor the health of the dogs and horses.

” “An attempt will be made to auction the retired animals first and if no one takes them then they will be handed over to the NGOs,” she added.

 Rana Mohammad Dawood, a resident of Gulberg and owner of five dogs, appreciates the Punjab Police’s decision to honour the lives of the animals who have spent their prime years serving the country.

 However, citizens like Ayesha Ahmed, while recognizing the end to the dated practice in the police, showed scepticism towards the state of animals in other security agencies.

 “Other security agencies should also hand over their old detection animals to NGOs in order to bring significant improvement in the condition of animals in the country,” she opined while talking to The Express Tribune.