Caesar, last of 26/11 hero sniffer dogs, passes away

Mumbai: The last of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks police dogs passed away at a Virar farmhouse on Thursday. He was laid to rest besides his three canine buddies, all of whom died this year. The sniffer dogs had worked in the Goregaon unit of the bomb detection disposal squad (BDDS) for 10 years before being send to Fizzah Farms.
Caesar (11), a brown Labrador, who was on duty during the Taj Hotel siege in Colaba during the 2008 attacks, woke up in the morning, stepped out for his daily dose of sunshine but never returned to the kennel, said Fizzah Shah, animal activist and owner of Fizzah Farms, where the dogs, Caesar, Max, Sultan and Tiger had found their retirement home in June 2015.
Caesar, who was suffering from chronic arthritis, was under medication. While he had slowed down his activities, he continued taking food till Wednesday. “Caesar passed away peacefully. He loved nature and died after taking his share of sunshine,” said Fizzah.
Santosh Bhogle, his former police handler, paid his last respects with garlands and the national flag was placed on Caesar. Bhogle recalled how Caesar, who loved food and was fond of pedas, had helped detect hand grenades following the shooting incident at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.
Caesar had begun bonding with Amanat (11), a retired Railway Protection Force dog from Rajkot in Gujarat, who joined the Virar farmhouse in August. Amanat is at present unwell and under treatment at the Bombay SPCA.
Meanwhile, canine experts suggested that trained police dogs need rest periods and breaks to avoid health complications and early death.
Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) secretary, Lt Colonel J C Khanna, said, “The police sniffer dogs, especially those in the bomb detection and anti-narcotics departments, lead very tough lives while on duty. Due to hard training and a disciplined lifestyle, they suffer from ailments related to lungs, joints, kidneys and vision. This shortens their lifespans.”
Khanna added, “In the last several years, many trained security dogs have passed away. During post-mortems, their lungs were found to be unusually blackish, as a result of long arduous duty hours in which they are made to sniff explosives and drugs. It is high time a proper policy is devised to give them regular breaks and relaxation time.”
Activist Ganesh Nayak of Animals Matter To Me said, “While a normal pet dog can easily live up to 14-15 years, a trained sniffer dog hardly lives up to 9-10 years due to irreversible health problems. They are sent for tough training when they are puppies. To balance their systems, they must get rest, and reduced daily work hours by employing two dogs to work in shifts.”
Animal activist and pet groomer, Urdhavi Shah, said, “A trained police dog can hardly chill out like a normal one due to a highly stressed life. The Animal Welfare Board of India and dog units must come up with a good plan to ensure sniffer dogs remain physically and emotionally healthy.”
Nayak said even private security dogs at five-star hotels often appear tired due to continuous sniffing of vehicles entering the premises.