Bengaluru’s canine contribution to the Olympics

There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bit in a video that DH’s team expertly stitched together last year on YouTube. 

The video showcases the work that goes into breeding and training some of the most intelligent canines the world has ever seen at the Central Reserve Police Force’s Dog Breeding and Training School (DBTS) in Taralu in Bengaluru. 

Awe-and-‘awww’-factor aside, you only get the gravity and seriousness of the team’s work as the unit leaders wax lyrical about what these dogs bring to the table. 

Suresh S, commandant vice principal of DBTS, noted in the clip that despite being the chief training officer, he doesn’t get to pet the dogs. They are all looked after by their handlers — two to a dog — and no one else.  

All this might sound a bit extreme, maybe even worth invoking the wrath of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), but the point is that one can never take safety and security measures for granted. The CRPF surely doesn’t. 

So, CRPF’s established degree of professionalism, and of course India’s historic alliance with France, meant the French government would call on their Indian counterparts to provide them with canines for counter-terrorist and anti-sabotage security cover when the Olympics get underway later this month in Paris.

The Indian armed forces obliged by sending 10 dogs, including two who were born and raised in Bengaluru, to Paris. Five-year-old Vast and three-year-old Denby are this City’s contribution to the international assignment.  

“We didn’t have any special requests from the French government,” says Suresh. “We picked these two because of their track record, and over the last 10 weeks, we fine-tuned their detection skills specifically to tackle what they could encounter at the Olympics.”

When asked how one goes about such a thing as teaching old dogs new/improved tricks, Suresh says they simulated challenges at stadiums in Bengaluru, including rounds of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during Indian Premier League matches — aimed at improving their reaction to huge crowds and loud noises. 

Vast and Denby were apparently quick to improve their problem-solving skills because, well, they’re Belgian Shepherds, aka the Belgian Malinois, and they are bred for protection so
situation-dependent action comes innately to them. 

The Indian sub-continent has an abundance of quality security breeds on offer, including the Kombai from Tamil Nadu, but the specificity with which the Malinois has been bred, for centuries no less, allows its traits to be consistent with what is needed from a guard dog. 

“See, we’re working on local breeds as we speak, so let’s hope we can find success with them in time,” Suresh injects to avoid any potential criticism for leaning towards foreign breeds alone. 

Even as the conversation veers into the territory of breeds best suited for such a thankless job, Suresh maintains that while the dogs and their personalities are imperative to operations such as the one to come, the commitment of the handlers is essential in keeping the dogs in check and on point. 

So, for the canine unit to execute their roles at the Olympics, the handlers were also put through a rigorous physical regimen once the collaboration was confirmed. Besides this, they also had to learn basic French and study the culture. 

It’s hard to tell if Vast, Denby or the eight others in Paris right now will be able to appreciate their journey to the banks of the Seine from the streets of India. 

Even if they did, though, it would hardly matter because all they know is their job, their handlers, maybe the joy of playing fetch on a Sunday, saving the world, and nothing else. 

You know, all the good stuff.