City Police Sniffer Dog Sudha- a Doberman Pinscher Which attended over 270 Crimes Dead at age 10 years and 3 months, was laid to rest at the Police Parade Ground, Mangaluru with full honours on Saturday, 24 July 2021 at 1 pm. in the presence of Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar, DCP (Law & Order) Hariram Shankar, DCP (CAR) Channaveerappa B Hadapada, ACP (CAR) A M Upase, among senior police officers, police constables and Dog Squad Teams.
Sniffer Dog Sudha- a Doberman Pinscher was born on 15 March 2011 and joined the Crime Detective Canine Squad on 2 April 2012, and was trained by Assistant Head Constable (235) Sandeep K.
Mangaluru: It was on 9 June 2021 that I had few minutes of fun time petting and playing with 10-year-old Doberman Pinscher Sudha-the Sniffer dog under Mangaluru Police Commissionerate, when I had visited the Canine Squad Department where the Dog Kennel is located, but sadly today, 24 July 2021 I had to pay my last respects to Sudha, who died due to tumour and other illness today, 24 July morning at 10.30 am, even though it was under treatment for the last few months. Sniffer Dog Sudha-a Doberman Pinscher was born on 15 March 2011 and joined the Crime Detective Canine Squad on 2 April 2012, and was trained by Assistant Head Constable (235) Sandeep K.
If at all you make a visit to the Police Commissioner’s office and take a stroll in the back compound, there are chances you could hear some barking coming from the dog kennel, where trained police dogs are housed in comfortable and spacious rooms, with fans running all the time to keep them cool. The sound of dogs barking in the distance is uplifting. One of them is saying something loudly, but somehow, you can tell the complaint is about something trivial. Yours Truly, a dog lover, and Master of four dogs-two dachshunds, a Labrador and one mixed breed Alsatian, had the golden opportunity to meet a couple of these police dogs, belonging to the Mangaluru Police Commissionerate and Dakshina Kannada police, and among them was Sudha, which allowed me to touch her and also to have a little playtime.
As I walked into the dog house, I was greeted with a friendly touch by these dogs, and a couple of them came closer to me sniffing my pants since they got the scent of my dogs. With all the orderliness and the sylvan-ness of the campus and the prospect of meeting these cute squad dogs, it is easy to forget that the Mangaluru & DK police dogs have a serious and dangerous job. They assist the police in ways that neither man nor machine can. The cuteness of the dogs belies their ferocity. They are trained to throw themselves through glass windows, enter terrorist hideouts and confront armed criminals. To do this, they need to be lithe and strong and be a weapon for the police.
The Canine squad, attached to Mangaluru police commissionerate, completed a decade recently. I also found out that unlike other dog squads across the state, the Mangaluru police dog squad was the state’s first Canine squad dedicated to detecting narcotic substances (Bengaluru had its first Canine squad to detect drugs in 2017). In 2011, when Seemant Kumar Singh was serving as Commissioner of Police, (the FIRST Police Commissioner of Mangalore Police Commissionerate who took charge in 2010) two male puppies of Labrador Retriever breed were procured from a breeding centre in Kannur in Kerala to strengthen its new Anti-narcotics cell.
The second batch of dogs inducted into the Dog squad included Geetha (Labrador Retriever breed), Rosy and Sudha (both Dobermann Pinscher breed). Unlike their predecessors, Geetha was trained in detecting explosives, (has 241 cases to its credit in detecting explosives) Rosy and Sudha assisted police in cracking crimes (has 271 cases to its credit in cracking down crimes). For the last 10 years and 3 months it was trainer Sandeep of Canine Squad who had taken care and trained Sudha since it was brought as a puppy, and today it was a sad and emotional day for Sandeep to see his pet Sudha breathing its last- there were tears in Sandeep’s eyes as the sniffer dog was laid to rest. Sandeep recollects that in 2012, Sudha had helped the Ullal police to solve the murder of a watchman by retrieving the footwear of the accused discarded nearly a kilometre away from the scene of the crime.
(File Photo) Dog Handlers Seen in the Photo L-R: Kushalappa (Armed Head Constable, Mangaluru Commissionerate); Sudha (Doberman Pinscher; Dinesh (Armed Head constable-DK); Ganesh (Reserve Sub Inspector); Sharath (Armed Police constable-DK); Geetha (Labrador); and Ravi Gowda (Armed Police constable)
Police Commissioner said, “Sudha had been an indispensable part of the crime detection squad all these years and had played an important role in helping the squad team in cracking down on crimes. with government honours. “Sudha had been a vital part of the Mangaluru Commissionerate police dog squad for over ten years, and it will be sadly missed by its trainer Sandeep and other squad team members. Very soon we will have a sniffer dog to replace Sudha”. Two more puppies procured by Mangaluru Commissioner of Police N Shashi Kumar are all set to replace Rosy and Geetha. One puppy named Rani is being trained in Bengaluru. Another puppy Bubbly (Dobermann Pinscher) will soon join Rani at the training centre in Bengaluru.
Sandeep K- the Assistant Head Constable & Trainer of Sudha placing the wreath
It should be noted that despite advancements in technology, dog squads are an integral part of policing. In heinous cases like murder and thefts, police and detectives still rely on dogs for initial clues. The confidence of the Public also doubles when a dog squad visits the spot. It shows the importance police are giving to the case. It is learnt that Mangaluru Commissionerate has a well equipped Kennel and very soon it will be upgraded with infrastructure facilities in the dog squad building, which is likely to be approved soon
Explaining the highly trusting relationship that dogs have with the handler, the dog handler of Sudha, its trainer Sandeep said “The only thing that worked with dogs was the reward. The notion that dogs should not be shown too much affection — for fear that they might become soft — was incorrect. Our dogs are sometimes better than humans, they don’t ask for anything in return and are content with just love and affection. We never beat the dogs. Our dogs are like our children. They respond much better to treats and appreciation. We would never ever hit them. They respond when we change our tone. Raising our voice is the extent of the punishment they receive from us. Sudha was very near and dear to me, and I will miss her a lot”.
Following the placing of wreaths and flowers on the body of Sudha, and after paying full honours from the CAR police team under the leadership of M V Kamath (RPI), and team commander Ramagonda Biradhar, the dog was buried, and a Tulasi sapling was planted on the grave. It was indeed a sad and emotional moment for everyone in the Mangaluru police force to bid a tearful adieu to a much loved and four-legged Braveheart who had served in the police department for a period of 10 years and three months. Adieu, Sudha!
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Very sad to know about the passing of Sudha,the sniffer dog,who served in the Mangalore police squad.It was an emotional bid adieu to a special dog.RIP Sudha.
I had to stop and wipe my tears a few times while reading this report. Our fury friends leave you heartbroken when they leave this planet. This is such a thoughtful gesture by city police. If you are a pet owner, how can you not love this report? Yea – give a tight hug to your pets and shower them with love.