ISLAMABAD: Over the past seven decades, the Pakistan military’s canine center has trained hundreds of dogs that have not only taken part in local military and anti-narcotics operations but also been deployed in search and rescue missions worldwide, the Commandant of the Army Canine Centre said this week.

The center was established in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in 1952 to breed, nurture, and train dogs for deployment in various military units and formations. To date, instructors at the facility have trained thousands of dogs to take part in military operations, anti-narcotics efforts, and post-disaster rescue missions.

“Nine courses are being run at this canine centre and we receive students from army, from air force and navy, as well as from the civilian armed forces and law enforcement agencies,” Colonel Muhammad Hasan, Commandant Army Canine Centre, told Arab News in an interview on Tuesday.

The center’s commandant said the dogs underwent puppy training before being put into specialized training for six to eight months.

“For each course, we require different attributes from the dog,” Hasan said. “Like in guard dogs, we require aggression, and for sniffers, we require agility plus nose work. So, our master trainer picks these dogs and starts training them.”

Hasan said the center preferred three breeds – German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Labrador Retrievers – and trained them according to their distinct characteristics.

The trained dogs had been an “integral part” of all military operations in the country, particularly to sniff out IEDs and arms and explosives, and perform tracking duties, the commandant said.

“Since 2012 when these dogs were deployed in operational areas [to fight militants], the number of IEDs has reduced by about 90 percent, and the number of incidents decreased drastically,” Hasan said.

In one incident, a chocolate coloured Labrador named Proton, deployed in Khyber tribal district in Pakistan’s northwest, was ambushed and killed by militants after recovering over 100 IEDs and large quantities of ammunition in dozens of operations in 2014.

“To recognize him, the chief of the army staff [Gen Raheel Sharif], on the recommendation of our directorate, suggested a medal for these unsung heroes, and the Proton medal has since been awarded to five dogs in various categories so far,” Hasan said.

The centre had also trained students from foreign countries:

“Mostly they come from the Arab countries and we train them in the art and science of dog handling as well as canine training,” the commandant said. 

During last year’s FIFA World Cup, 40 Pakistani dog handlers were sent to Doha with a military contingent to perform security and protection responsibilities.

Dogs from the training center have also performed international assignments, including rescue work in Nepal and Turkey after earthquakes, the colonel said. 

“Our urban search and rescue dogs participated in the rescue missions in Nepal in 2022 and 2023 in Turkey,” Hasan said, “where they recovered dead bodies and live humans and animals.”