March 18, 2017
NEW DELHI: After a gap of three decades, Doberman Pinschers are back policing the Sino-Indian border along with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel. The paramilitary force has reintroduced the German breed into its K-9 squad with a view to increasing the variety of dogs under its command.
The accent on variety is meant as insurance against outbreak of disease amongst the canines. The Union Home Ministry recently greenlighted a proposal for limited breeding of Dobermans in order to manage the genetic variety of its canine troops.
The Doberman breed was replaced in the ITBP K-9 unit in 1991 owing to degradation in quality due to inbreeding by private breeders.
But the force is now welcoming the breed back. ITBP deputy inspector-general (veterinary) Sudhakar Natarajan said, “The Doberman is excellent for roles like attack, patrol, explosive detection and tracking and can acclimatise well for deployment in high altitude as well as hot and humid conditions.“
Source: Indian Express.
