You have, probably, heard a debate on the right name for the dogs doing Police work. Whether some people merely decide to brag about it or not; Let’s call them Police service dogs, sniffer dogs, canine, or just K-9.

That aside, it’s likely that you have seen the K-9 in action up close. But how much do you really know about them? Well, let’s sail together on their lifestyle, how they operate and the interesting bond with their Police handlers.

The Police service dogs sometime petrify but they are friendly, foxily smart, and intelligent to detect your scent (good or bad). They are trained to ensure your safety.

Background

When Rwanda National Police (RNP) came into existence, on June 16, 2000, one of the units that were much needed due to the level of crime at the time was the canine unit, which was established later that same year.

"Our country’s history and the state of crime in the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and considering the incredible work sniffer dogs provide in crime detection necessitated establishing the canine unit, then under the Criminal Investigation Department. It started with only two sniffer dogs detecting only narcotics, and three trained police handlers,” said Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Faustin Kalimba, the Commanding Officer of RNP’s Canine Brigade.

Today, the brigade has the capacity to detect narcotics and explosives with its different sniffer breeds deployed at border points, including the airport, and at national and public events.

"It has been proven that it’s impossible to beat a sniffer dog, however much someone may try to hide drugs or explosives. Considering that one well trained sniffer dog has the capacity to do the work of about 50 police officers in a very short time, that makes them special in their security work, and inevitable to have,” Kalimba reckons.

Training

For a new dog to join the canine family, it must go through steps of training.

The first step of intensive training is meant to identify each dog's expertise, either in narcotic drugs or explosives. The second step is obedience, to prevent temperament and behavior problems. Dogs, they say, develop behavior disorder when the owner fails to set and enforce rules.

"Dog obedience training, therefore, establishes its respect for its handler, teaches it to listen and to follow instructions. In short, obedience level is all about keeping the dog happy and under control,” said Kalimba.

The third and final level is a joint training with its Police handler, which is called familiarization and bonding.

"The Police officer and the K9 now create a strong bond and become workmates in every assigned tasks. A sniffer dog knows only one person when it comes to duty — it’s handler — and it cannot work when he, or she, is not around. In any case, when its handler has been reassigned, it will require another bonding training with its new handler. In short, there is that nature of love and respect that can affect the dog when the boss (handler) is not around.

"Our trained canine can detect narcotics like cannabis, heroin, cocaine and others, which helps to identify the suspected trafficker, as well as all explosives.”

Awarding dogs

It is scientifically proven that rewarding a dog for a certain task influences it to do it again. Understanding what it likes and favorite things is key.

According to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Michael Twagiramungu, a canine trainer, dogs are awarded with balls and praises for a job well done. It is the same practice and behavior that makes it respect you, and makes it to do what you want over and again.

Identifying exhibits

"In an operation, when a sniffer dog detects that there are illegal products in a particular area, its behavior changes drastically; it increases speed and force during the search and narrows down the search perimeter and leans on its legs or sits next to the luggage or exact point where the detected item is. The first thing a handler will do is to thank the dog for the good job.”

Canine way of living

Canines require close care. They have highly skilled specialists, including veterinary doctors, cooks, feeding, hygiene and other specialists taking care of their overall wellbeing.

"We regularly check their health and feed them according to their weight... their health and diet is given much attention. Canine dogs eat once in 24 hours, and each dog eats about 500 grams,” said canine medic and Chief Inspector of Police (CIP), Dr. Robert Mugabe.

The canine brigade has a clinic where the dogs are treated but in case of a severe sickness, which is a rare case according to Mugabe, the dog is referred to a private vet hospital for further medical attention.

Their hygiene and sanitation is done regularly, and they are washed too — with dog shampoo.

"Their health and behavior are checked every morning and are subjected to a two-hour training on a daily basis,’’ Mugabe noted.

You will be inviting a bloody fight keeping sniffer dogs in the same cage. Canine dogs are accorded working leave too.

"When its handler is given a leave, it also automatically gets a working leave,” said Mugabe.

Retirement

Canine dogs, like Police officers, have a retirement age. Drug sniffing dogs, depending on the working environment, retire at between nine and 10 years of service. Explosive sniffers serve for between eight and nine years.

Operating beyond borders

The sniffers are part of the Rwanda Security Forces in Cabo Delgado Province, in northern Mozambique, where they are facilitating security operations against the now weakened Islamic State-linked terrorists, Ansar al Sunnah wal Jama’a.

"We get most sniffer dogs from abroad especially in the Netherlands and UK. But we started a project for breeding them here in Rwanda. The RNP is strengthening the canine brigade to expand its highly needed services to different parts of the country but also to introduce new sniffers that help during emergencies like landslides and floods to detect people or bodies trapped underground or debris. They will also help to track criminals like thieves,” said Kalimba.