It was the usual farewell function with a candle-lit cake, and the retiree was garlanded and draped with a shawl. The guest of honour was Lucy, a 11-year-old Labrador retriever, who retired as a sniffer dog in the police detective dog squad in Vellore, after serving with distinction for a decade. Her trainer cut the cake and fed it to her at the event held in the police station on Old Bangalore Road in Vellore.
Whether it’s sniffing out explosives or drugs, investigating a crime scene and providing security to visiting dignitaries — Lucy did her work with dedication. So, when she slowed down due to age, head constable M. Gerard Wilson recommended that she be retired.
“She will continue to enjoy other benefits, including routine diet and care. Retirement does not change her status in the squad other than not requiring her to work. We will get a replacement [a puppy] soon,” said S. Rajesh Kannan, Superintendent of Police (Vellore).
Officials said retirement of sniffer dogs was based on the declaration given by the Director of Clinics from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) that the dog in question was medically unfit for active police duty.
Earlier, such retired dogs were auctioned off to the public. However, it was found that most of them were mistreated by their new owners. As a result, the State government passed an order in 2005 that retired dogs from the squad should be maintained in a separate kennel within the same premises.
At Vellore, the dog squad is mainly used for explosives and crime works after an year-long training given to them in Chennai when they are inducted into the squad. Each dog is taken care of by two handlers. Sniffer dogs such as Simba, 9, Lucy, 9, Agni, 4, and the newly joined Sara, 6 month-old, are taken care of by constables D. Sasikumar, J. Elagovan, C. Dhanasekaran and S. Gunraj.
