INDIA After the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, the demand for bomb-sniffing dogs in India rose so fast the country could not keep up with requests. The Washington Post reported that prior to the attacks, the Indian army had used canines primarily in restive Kashmir and Punjab. "But as insurgents and terrorists expand their targets across the country," the paper wrote, "dogs are also being deployed to malls, metro stations, luxury hotels and other public places in India's booming new cities."
Two years after the Mumbai attacks, the need had yet to be filled. In 2010, "New Delhi's police department has 32 sniffer dogs and [had] ordered 50 more ... Major airports [had] increased the number of sniffer dogs by at least 50 percent since 2008," according to the Post.
Few as they may be, these canines are highly regarded in India. As sub-Inspector Digvijay Singh told the Post, "These dogs are patriotic Indians. They are better than our men, because they don't take bribes."
Here, Indian soldiers show off their trained canines at Polo Grounds in Secunderabad on Jan. 8, 2010.
NOAH SEELAM/AFP/Getty Images
