Kerala police averse to inducting desi dog breeds as sniffers into K9 squad

DESI dog breeds, loved by police and paramilitary forces across the country due to their climate resilience and impressive capabilities, are not - or at least, no longer - the favourites of the Kerala Police.

- SHAN AS@T'puram

Surprisingly, the Kerala Police were the pioneers when it came to drafting indigenous canine breeds to the K9 squad and training them as sniffers. In 2019, much before other states had warmed up to the idea, Kerala's K9 unit had drafted a Mudhol Hound, two Chippiparai and two Kanni dogs. In 2020, another batch of 12 Chippiparai and Kanni dogs were added. Many of them were trained to become efficient sniffers, breaking the conventional thinking that the desi breeds could only perform guard duties.