The furry bravehearts: MVC felicitates acts of courage of service canines

The event titled ‘Bravehearts’ was a part of the college’s annual festival Spandan, which itself was clubbed with the college’s 137-year anniversary celebrations. This was the third edition of the event, after 2014 and 2016, that aims to recognise the work done by service dogs working in fields of public security, police forces, and military forces as sniffer dogs from bomb squad, tracker dogs as well as the dogs working in Animal Assisted Therapy who aid emotional healing.

MUMBAI: Some of the most well-trained canine friends of the country, many of whom had several acts of courage and service to their names, were felicitated by the Mumbai Veterinary College on Wednesday.

The furry bravehearts: MVC felicitates acts of courage of service canines

Besides honouring 16 dogs, alongside their handlers from various service agencies that they were representing, two special dogs, who passed away in the line of duty, received their honours posthumously.

The event titled ‘Bravehearts’ was a part of the college’s annual festival Spandan, which itself was clubbed with the college’s 137-year anniversary celebrations. This was the third edition of the event, after 2014 and 2016, that aims to recognise the work done by service dogs working in fields of public security, police forces, and military forces as sniffer dogs from bomb squad, tracker dogs as well as the dogs working in Animal Assisted Therapy who aid emotional healing.

There was also a special display of the agility and abilities of some of the honourees through obstacle races, explosive sniffing and obedience test among others. In all, 23 dogs were selected for the in-person event, of which seven couldn’t attend due to being deployed on duty.

Axel, a two-year-old attached with the 26-army dog unit, was martyred when he assisted the Rashtriya Rifles in Operation Wanigam Bala on July 30, 2022. He not only directly attacked a terrorist despite being shot at point blank range but also helped the army men zero in on the exact location of the terrorist they were looking for.

Zoom, who was attached to the 28 Army Dog Unit, was a part of the Operation Tangpawa on October 19, 2022. He sustained two gunshot injuries while pursuing two terrorists in Anantnag district. The injuries proved fatal and he breathed his last four days later in an army hospital.

Their names had even featured in the list of the ‘Mention-in-Despatches’ on the following Independence Day.

Dr Anil Mahajan, officer on special duty to the speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, said no enemy can harm a nation with such loyal braveheart soldiers protecting it as the ones being felicitated on the day. Dr Avinash Dhakane (IAS), managing director Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation (MFSCDC), said he was in awe of the achievements of the furry soldiers that were being recounted by their handlers.

Associate dean of the college Dr SU Gulavane said that she wished that such events where so many brave dogs assembled were held more often.

The other dogs that were felicitated on the occasion included grand old Crazy, a nine-year-old Labrador from the explosive detection unit, one-and-a-half-year-old Bhola, who is a part of the bomb detection and disposal squad, five-year-old Prince, who is deployed at the VVIP section of the airport, four-year-old Jockey who assists Mumbai police in all important bandobast duties on occasions like Indian Premier League and the prime minister’s arrival in Mumbai and eight-year-old Moti who was the one to sniff out the bomb at Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia in February 2021.