Female Cops Break Barriers as Trainee Handlers in Tamil Nadu's Dog Squad

In a first for Tamil Nadu, the Police Department has appointed two women cops from the Armed Reserve Police as trainee handlers in the dog squad.

The Tamil Nadu state government established a sniffer dog squad in Coimbatore on July 8, 1965. Following the serial bomb blast in 1998, a detective dog training center was set up in Coimbatore to train the dogs to track narcotics, explosives, and crime.

The dogs are trained from the age of two months here. Dogs have been a common sight at the center for years, but what is new is women giving commands to the budding K9 warriors, as dogs are called in police jargon.

Bhavani from Theni district and Kavi Priya from Pollachi, who were previously associated with the reserve police, have now been appointed as trainee handlers in the dog squad upon their willingness.

Speaking to Network 18, Kavi Priya said: “I have been a pet lover since childhood, and I enjoy being in the dog squad now. In the Coimbatore dog training center, there are four types of dog breeds introduced to the team: Labrador, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and Belgian Shepherd.”

“Now, we are providing training to groom the dogs and feed them in order to develop a bond. Initially, they did not connect well with us, as it was the first time for them to hear a female command. But later, we started to connect with them very well. These dogs are connected to our souls. If we are happy, they will stay happy, and if we are not, they will react the same way. So, we show a lot of love and affection in the training of the dogs, and they respond positively.”

“The dogs are fed half a liter of milk, an egg, and 200 grams of pet food at 8:30am, 200 grams of pet food at 12:30pm, and 250 grams of rice, beef, and vegetables at 6:30pm.”

“The Coimbatore City Commissioner appointed us to the canine squad to eradicate gender bias in the police department, and we are very happy about that. We will fulfill his dream and be the best trainers for our K9 warriors.”

The two then proceeds to train the squad, which currently consists of nine members, and the canines are progressively obeying the commands of the trainer.