Meet Vida and Sophie, army dogs PM Modi spoke about on Mann Ki Baat

The Prime Minister hailed the Indian Army dogs for performing their duty and also urged the people to bring home dogs of locals breeds when planning on adopting a pet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the role of dogs in various security operations in the country during his 68th Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday.

Sophie of Special Frontier Force (Bomb Disposal Squad) (left) and Vida of an army dog unit located in Northern Command (right) have been awarded with the Chief of Army Staff ‘Commendation Cards’.

He lauded the Indian Army dogs Vida, a labrador, and a cocker spaniel Sophie who were earlier this month awarded the Chief of Army Staff ‘Commendation Cards’ on the 74th Independence Day.

Vida of an army dog unit located in Northern Command was instrumental in detection of five mines and one grenade buried underground thus preventing any casualties/injuries to own troops.

Sophie of Special Frontier Force (Bomb Disposal Squad), on the other hand, is an explosive detection dog that sniffed out the presence of initiator/accelerant which could have been hastily used to fabricate an IED, thereby saving lives.

The Prime Minister hailed the dogs for performing their duty and also urged the people to bring home dogs of locals breeds when planning on adopting a pet.

The army dog unit, fondly called “The Silent Warriors”, have time and again proven to be an asset for the security forces.

Also, to increase the operational capabilities of its troops, the army had in December last year developed an audio-video surveillance system integrated with a protective bulletproof jacket, which can be mounted stealthily on the army dogs to receive information about location and strength of enemy from a safe distance.

The camera and transmitter on the gadget send the information on the receiver that can be at a safe distance up to one-km from the enemy location.