New Community Project Initiated to Turn Stray Dogs to be Watch Dogs in Army Installations
Security Force Headquarters - Kilinochchi, in what appear to be a novel and an exclusive project, is to make maximum use of hundreds of stray dogs and form Community Dog Squads to be used for surveillance and vigilance duties inside all military installations under the SFHQ-KLN.
As part of another social service project for the greater benefit of civilians as well as for troops, serving the areas in the form of an alternative manpower in different Army formations, the project to tame those stray dogs for better use, kicked off in the 661 Brigade after several workshops on dog care, dog handling, dog parades and related preliminary arrangements were discussed with the support of the kennel section of the 4 Commando Regiment of the Army.
The famous community dog lovers ‘Embark’ organization, spearheaded by Ms Otara Gunawardene, Chief Executive Officer, ODEL Sri Lanka at the invitation of Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Commander, SFHQ-KLN, has come forward to help the project by visiting the 611 Brigade Headquarters, Pooneryn, together with a 13 member ‘Embark’ team including veterinary surgeons, foreign dog enthusiasts, sales executive, Ms Ashani Gopallawa where the project was to be introduced as the first one of its kind.
The proposed guard dog squad per battalion consists of 5 guard dogs at each Battalion Headquarters, 10 guard dogs at each Company, one officer, two non-commissioned officers, dog handlers and helpers as per the arrangements.
‘Embark’ has pledged vaccination facilities, regular medical advice and supply of medicine plus T-shirts, arm bands for dog handlers as a patronage to the entire project, through which both civilians and innocent stray dogs are immensely benefitted.
Once those stray dogs were trained and deployed at different locations, the SFHQ-KLN maintains the percentage of Hydrophobia, caused by dog biting could be brought down considerably in those remote areas, saving lives.
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