Meerut: At the Remount Veterinary Corps Centre (RVC) in Meerut, over 500 dogs are trained to meet the requirements of different units of the Indian Army. The centre takes care of these dogs right from birth till the time they retire from army duty.
The army would mainly breed three kinds of dogs — Labradors, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois. But indigenous dogs, like the Mudhol Hound, Chippiparai, Kombai, and Rajapalayam, made the cut after 2016 as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the army said.
The army stopped using the Belgian Malinois for training sessions between 2011 and 2018 to study their psychology better, the army said.
The RVC Centre is also currently training a few Cocker Spaniels to detect Covid. Deployed at transit camps, they were able to detect Covid-positive urine and sweat samples.
On a typical day, a dog at the RVC Centre begins his/her day early with a 4-5 km run. Then, their temperatures are taken and their training begins. This is followed by grooming sessions and meals.
ThePrint’s photojournalist brings you a day in the lives of these young, energetic dogs.
