Police dogs taken off duty after having pups
Two superstar sniffer dogs working for the Indian Police are in the doghouse after having a litter of pups each.
Police chiefs in Chhattisgarh, central India, have taken action against the dogs’ handlers, and suspended them from duty for dereliction of their responsibilities.
In their defence, the handlers have cited poor quality kennels and rickety enclosures at their headquarters as the reason the animals fell pregnant.
Labradors Liza and Seema have so far had a glittering career sniffing out stashes of drugs and explosives, but their duties have been put on hold whilst they nurse their litters of 10 and seven pups respectively. In Indian law, police sniffer dogs are forbidden from becoming pregnant whilst on active duty.
Chhattisgarh police commandant has requested an investigation into what he calls a “serious security lapse”. Speaking to the BBC, Mohan Gupta, one of the dog’s handlers, said that the building where the dogs are housed has broken doors. He added:
“The bitches might have sneaked out or the street dogs might have strayed into the kennel.”
“We were ignorant about the bitches conceiving till we noticed their stomachs swelling.”
“I am just a trainer. How can I be held responsible for the bitches becoming pregnant?”
Poor facilities are not a problem confined to Chhattisgarh. Recently, a division of sniffer dogs in Jharkhand attracted similar controversy when one of its dogs fell pregnant. Police in the state adopted all of the pups in that dog’s litter, but police chiefs in Chhattisgarh are still debating if they should keep Liza’s and Seema’s pups.
