Disciplined non-barking canines and non- braying mules in the Indian Army Service
Disciplined,faithful non-barking canines and non- braying mules in the Indian Army Service
(Ref: The Better India; https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kashmir-army-dog-infiltration-bid-militants-bravery-award-335187-2016 , )
Indian Army uses many canines for regular duties in the services like search and rescue operations, in recovering explosives, sniff suspected items, hunt and chase intruders, as guard and attacking dogs. The other very useful support to the front lines, is the "transport master" mules, who are obviously more in number.
Indian Army Remount & Veterinary Corp (RVC) is used for breeding and training all the animals that are recruited in the Indian Army. Dogs who fail in the intensive training are rejected. . The dogs are coached in commands NOT to bark while in combat, so that their position is not announced to enemy. This is a very important training for the dog. All the dogs, finally selected, undergo intense training at RVC, . The RVC is actually decorated with a Shaurya Chakra and close to 150 commendation cards. The army's dogs from the RVC, Meerut and their trainers have won one Shaurya Chakra, six Sena Medals and nearly 600 commendation cards from the chief, vice-chief and commanders.
. There are 1200 dogs of breeds like German Shepherds, Labradors, Belgium Shepherds and Great Swiss Mountain Dogs who are trained by the RVC. The Army men take care of street dogs around their camps. . These dogs actually help detect movement of infiltrators around the unit by providing warning signs. Besides that, they keep the soldiers company, who are far away from home. The dogs are integral part of the counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.
On 26th January 2016, a dog squad had participated in the parade and they were a sight to watch. The RVC centre in Meerut Cantt. worked really hard to prepare the squad for the march past!
After serving in IA for 8 to 9 years, the dogs reitre, in about half their life span of 13-15.They can also be prematurely retired if they don't performdue to injury/illness. They do not have a post retirement life as they are euthanised (mercy killed) The dogs are also euthanised because they have a slot of sensitive knowledge on various locations that can be revealed to the enemy. Dogs would have been shot or administered euthanasia, which used to be the fate of all army and paramilitary dogs following retirement or incapacitation through injury or illness, unless they had won gallantry awards. Dogs who die are given a deserving funeral for their loyal and brave service to IA. After a lot of efforts put in by People For Animal’s chief Meneka Gandhi, the euthanasia process of the animal who served in the Indian Army was dismissed in 2016. This resulted in the army coming up with homes of the old dogs. As of now, there are two old homes for the ex-Indian Army retired dogs. There is one in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh , the other is in Uttarakhand’s small town of Hempur. Army dogs, are up for adoption post their retirement from the Army . . All the dogs here are also available for adoption by dog lovers free of cost. Though they are old ( 8 +) they are highly trained and most of them (at least those who are below 10) are extremely fit and sprightly. They are adopted both by individuals and by units as guard dogs. Some of these dogs have even been awarded a COAS commendation.
Before all the dogs’ lovers pack their bags to adopt a retired Indian Army dog, there are a lot of things to keep in mind. There is a screening process by the RVC for the adoption of former Indian Army dogs.
Apart from the IA, the paramilitary central force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) , also uses these dogs who exhibited superior levels of skill and dedication to duty and helped the force in counter-insurgency operations, solving crimes, , guarding the 699km Bhutan border and the 1,751km-long border with Nepal , maoist affected areas of the country during their long dedicated service.
The award for the SSB dogs was instituted by Archana Ramasundaram, , a Tamil Nadu-cadre IPS officer, who retired as the paramilitary force's director-general. Central paramilitary forces are also planning to set up old-age homes for retired dogs before they can be auctioned off or given to their handlers for adoption.
So, now, you know about an army dog’s life ! ? ! It is precious to the Army, the active soldiers in war andpeace.
Now, to the story of some famous IA Dogs.
(a) Rex This golden Labrador was born in 1993 at the RVC, was in 14th Army Dog Unit serving in Bhaderwah, to track militants. In 1995 he tracked an injured militant, chasing 3 km amidst cross fire, and recovered an AK-56 with 92 rounds of ammunition. In 1998, on a patrol near Gulngdhar, he picked up scent of an injured militant and located him dead, after 2 km search. Though untrained for avalanche rescue operations, he located bodies of three militants with large catch of arms and ammunition. In another serach operation near Rajouri, he had a fall and injred in the intestines. He passed away due to these injuries, on 22Sep 1999 in an Army Veterinary Hospital.
(b) Rock Another Labrador named Rock, in late 1990s, tracked four foreign militants with four AK 47 rifles, radio sets,one improvised explosive device (IED), 170 rpounds of ammunition,in the snow bound difficult, mountainous region of Fatehpur area, Kashmir Valley.
(c) Rocket. IA troops had an encounter with militants near Banihal, Kashmir,on 9th June , 1998. Taking the scent from the scarf of a militant, Rocket located very rich haul containing a universal machine gun, 3 AK47s, 2 AK56s, 9 mm pistols, a sniper rifle, 7 radio sets, 11 IEDs, 26 hand grenades, 37 electric detonators and 150 rounds of ammunition.
(d) Rudali. Rudali, a Labrador sniffer, was an explosive and mine detecting canine, serving to provide safe passage to troops and civilians. On 16th September 1998, located an IED on the road side near Surankote, thus saving many lives. Rudali worked in helipads, conference halls, and roads for VIP travels.
(e) Manasi. Was a 4 year old Labrador with its handler Bashir Ahmad, tracked down a terrorist in May 2015 on Kaisuri ridge, and foiled a terrorist attack in July 2015. The same duo in August 2015, sensed some militants movement along LoC in Tangdhar area, and dragged Bahsir to chase in poor visibility conditions, and the militants saw them and fired heavily, killing both the souls.
The first canine and handler duo, to have been selected for a posthumous war honour, “Mention in Despatch” for the supreme sacrifice. The mortal remains of the valiant friend Mansi of the Army, were laid to rest at her unit lines at Trehgam in north Kashmir.
(f) Alex A golden Labrador of RVC, Meerut, was on duty in 1965, to protect Bhutanese King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck in Paro. Alex picked up a scent from a grenade lever, and tracked in forest and hill, for miles, to catch the would be assassin in a temple. The King was pleased to award Rs 1000, his gold ring and a certificate.
(g) Dutch Was born in 2010. Dutch was one of the most decorated dogs in the Indian Army. As per the reports, in November 2014, during the Prime Minister's visit to Guwahati, Dutch while carrying out his sniffing duties, confirmed the presence of a 7 kg IED inside a coach of Kamakhya Express at Alipurdwar. A month later, in December 2014, Dutch was instrumental in sniffing out a powerful 6 kg Improvised Explosive Device (IED) from a public bus in Assam's Goalpara district. Just recently 9-year-old Dutch, an Explosive Detection (ED) dog with the Eastern Command of the Indian Army, passed away. Dutch died on 11th Sept 2015, in his sleep- like he deserved to, a true soldier. Talking to media, one of the officers at the Army dog unit said: "He passed away in his sleep - like a saint, a real soldier." The Army gave him a rather befitting goodbye, for all his services during his tenure. There was a funeral service held for Dutch, where the entire unit came together to pay tribute to his bravery. The true silent warrior was awarded with the GOC-in-C Eastern Command commendation for his bravery in 2015-2016.
(h) Baghera. Bagheera, a PEDD i.e, Petrol Explosive Detection Dog, associated with the dog squad of Indo Tibetan Border Police was awarded by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for his efficiency in sniffing explosives on the occasion of 57th foundation day of ITBP on October 25, 2018 in Greater Noida, India.
PM Modi is reported to have said Sophie, a cocker brown spaniel of the Special Frontier Force (Bomb Disposal Squad), saved lives by sniffing out the presence of initiator/accelerant during a search operation while Vida, a black Labrador from an Army Dog Unit in the Northern Command, was instrumental in detecting five mines and one grenade buried underground, preventing casualties and injuries of troops.
To honour these brave souls, the country’s first animal war memorial is being set up at the RVC Centre and College in Meerut, where the Army breeds, rears and trains dogs, mules and horses. The memorial will have granite tablets with names and service numbers of more than 300 dogs, 350 handlers and a few horses and mules as well. Approval for the memorial from the Defence Ministry is expected soon.
The other type of untrained stray dogs which hover around the army kitchens for the left over scraps of food, in the higher reaches of LoC. These “Langar” dogs,keep company to the lonely soldiers and foil the infiltration attempts by detecting the movements and providing the jawans with early warnings. They also faithfully serve the army for the food they got from their langars.
Here is an incident where an army officer has sacrificed himself to save his faithful dog.
Army Major in J&K saves wife from fire, dies rescuing dog.
An Army officer Major Ankit Budhraja, died while trying to save his dog during a fire incident in Gulmarg area of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir..A fire had broken out in an officers’ hut Saturday night and Major Ankit Budhraja of Corps of Signals, attached with SSTC Gulmarg, rescued his wife and one of his dogs. However, while rescuing another dog, the major received burn injuries up to 90 per cent and died on the spot, a police official said.
The hard working high altitude sure-footed supply carrier"MULES"
Whether they are pets, mascots, or working creatures, animals have been bringing solace to the soldiers serving at the front since times immemorial.
Mules and bullocks were used as transport animals by the Sappers. A grey mule was commissioned into the service in 1891 and it went on to serve in Tirah, Chitral, Malakand, Tibet, Palestine and Egypt. In 1921, before the Sappers and Miners returned to India from Egypt, all the mules were sold off to the Egyptians. However, Col Basset interceded with the Force Commander Sir Philip Chetwode to make an exception to the Grey Mule, which was then pensioned off in Bengaluru.
In the armed forces, names are a privilege reserved for horses and are rarely given to mules. They are identified by their hoof numbers. But this grey mule heroine "PEDONGI", was no ordinary mule. Not only was she the army’s longest-serving mule, she was also the only one to be awarded a bravery citation and a ceremonial blue velvet rug by the Indian Army, and a place in the Guinness book of world records.
A bay mare of Spanish breed, initially called Hoof Number 15328, joined the army in 1962. She was a part of the the Animal Transport units under the Indian Army Service Corps. As an MA (Mountain Artillery) mule, her job was to work alongside troops during war to transport ammunition and other stores to forward units as well as transport casualties to military hospitals on some of the most treacherous tracks in the world. In those days, even during peace time, the contribution of mules was vital in providing last-mile logistics supply to isolated army units. An army officer says “These mules work just as hard as the soldiers.” During winter, heavy snowfall would convert the frontier into a terrain where no vehicle (perhaps even man) could possibly go. If not for the supplies brought by the mules, the soldiers would have been unable to stay at their outposts.
During her long career, she braved bullets, airstrikes and battle trenches to prove her mettle as a brave and intelligent military mule. She was highly respected and valued for her many feats, one of which has an interesting story behind it. The story goes that during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, an animal transport column was captured and taken along by the Pakistani forces. However, a fortnight later,she managed to escape from the Pakistani forces, carrying boxes of Pakistani ammunition on her back, the exhausted animal made her way back to an Indian Army outpost. Mightily pleased by her loyalty , the Animal Transport Battalion Commander reported the matter to his seniors who recommended a citation of bravery for her.
In 1987, this 29-year-old mule was stationed at 853 AT Company ASC when she came to the notice of Commanding Officer Maj Chunni Lal Sharma. Usually, mules serve the army for 18-20 years. He was astonished and impressed to find out that the hardworking animal was still willing and able to serve in altitudes as high as 17,000 feet even though she was the oldest MA mule in the Indian Army! Touched by the mule’s long and loyal service, Major Sharma formally appointed her as the mascot of 853 AT Company ASC. In 1989, her picture also graced the ‘season’s greeting card’ of the unit. The aging animal was later shifted to Bareilly where she spent her last years grazing in green fields and enjoying the affection of soldiers posted at the military base.
Finally, in 1992, she was specially taken to Delhi where she was presented with a bravery citation and a blue velvet ceremonial rug at the 223 Corps Day Function. She was also formally given the name Pedongi, remembering the town of Pedong, a battle location in North Sikkim.
The brave animal made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘Longest-Serving Military Mule’ in 1997 before passing away peacefully in Bareilly on March 25, 1998.
Interestingly, in the years just before the Kargil war, there was a proposal to disband the Animal Transport units and replace them with all-terrain vehicles. However, when war erupted in Kargil, intense shelling along the motorable roads in Drass and Kargil made logistics support to remote outposts by vehicles and even helicopters impossible. The Animal Transports units were the only ones who continued to work in the face of heavy shelling. The sturdy and sure-footed mules could go through rugged ridges and precarious tracks on which no vehicle could reach. Unsurprisingly, the proposal to disband them was scrapped.
At present, the Indian Army maintains a 6,000-strong force of mules. These Animal Transport units continue to provide a reliable mode of last-mile transport in the harsh terrain along the Indian frontiers The dauntless and loyal military mules of the Army Service Corps have enabled last-mile logistics supply in the most inhospitable conditions along our frontiers in all past wars and operations in the highest tradition of the Indian Army.
PEDONGI. The Indian Army Mule War memorial at ASC Centre and College.
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