GUWAHATI, April 20 - Belgian Shepherds, one of the most fearsome breed of canine employed by law-enforcing agencies worldwide, would soon be patrolling the Assam-Bangladesh border.
The Belgian Shepherds, also known as Malinois, are the same breed of dogs which were used by the US forces in tracking down the Al-Qaeda chief, Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
Top BSF sources informed this reporter that the requirement of this special breed of dogs have already been placed and they should be ready for operational purpose (training) along the Assam-Bangladesh border in less than a year�s time.
Apart from the Malinois, the Guwahati frontier of the BSF would add teeth to its canine squad strength by inducting more canine detectives of other breeds, like Labrador and German Shepherd, specialized in explosive and narcotic detection, besides those used for tracking (trackers) and infantry patrolling.
From the existing 18, the BSF (Guwahati Frontier) is expected to increase the strength of the canine squad to 44.
Among other forces, the CRPF presently has a 16-member canine squad in the State (excluding Upper Assam), while the Assam Police�s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has a squad of 12 trained dogs at its disposal, which also includes Doberman. The Assam Police is also about to add to the strength of the dog squad by 10 new dogs and as many as 15 newly trained handlers.
�We have now initiated the induction process and the training of the pups is going on at the National Training Centre for Dogs located in Gwalior,� a senior BSF official said.
�While the trained Labrador and the German Shepherd dogs will be employed within six months or so along the border, the Malinois should be operational within a year�s time after their training at the NTCD,� sources confirmed.
The Milinois has, over the years, proved its worth worldwide, especially for its agility, perseverance and olfactory senses.
Dog handlers engaged with the Assam Police believe that Malinois has the art of communicating through a nod so that the target is not alerted by its bark.
Malinois were also recently employed by the Forest Department for anti-poaching activities.
