A sniffer dog being trained at Liluah. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

They work for the railways for around six years. During this period, the railways takes care of their food and lodging. Besides, they get first-class pass when they travel by train.

Meet Leo, Simba, Marshall — three of the 23 dogs who are Eastern Railway (ER) employees. Undergoing training at the Railway Protection Force (RPF) camp at Liluah now, they will soon be sent to work in different locations.

“After the July 11, 2006 blasts at Mumbai’s railway stations, we had asked for more dogs. The Railway Board in New Delhi allowed another 45 dogs. In the first lot we had brought in 25 dogs. After their training is over the rest will be brought,” says Subhash Chandra Sinha, the chief security commissioner of RPF, Eastern Railway. Previously, the railway had only 10 dogs.

The new dogs are both sniffer dogs and trackers. “Sniffer dogs are trained to detect explosives like RDX or TNT. Trackers mostly help in tracing criminals,” says Sinha. While the sniffer dogs are mostly Labradors, the trackers are Doberman and German Shepherd. Unfortunately, two dogs in the first lot expired.

The training is rigorous. “The basic training of three months is the same for trackers and sniffers,” says Kanchan Kumar Roy, the head constable at Liluah.

Basic training means lessons in discipline. “During this period they get acquainted with their handlers. The primary requirement of these dogs is listening to the handlers’ commands,” says Jungbir Lama, the sub-inspector of RPF dog squad at Liluah and the in-charge of training. The handlers too undergo training with the dogs.

During advanced training the sniffer dogs are taught to detect explosives. Trackers are trained to act on a clue left by the offender, which may indicate the direction in which the offender fled. Earlier a sniffer dog was trained to bark if it had identified the area where the explosives were kept. “But there are sound-sensitive explosives which would blast if a dog barks. They are now trained to go near the area where the explosives are and then sit down,” says Lama.

However, the money sanctioned by the Railway Board, Rs 1,650 per month per dog, is too little. The long working hours are also a big pressure. “Generally a dog should work for around two hours each day. But they are often forced to work for eight hours. The long hours may decrease their life span,” says a railway staff at Liluah.

“The training centre at Liluah started from January 2007,” says Sinha. But owing to lack of space and infrastructure, all the 23 pups could not be trained together. “Now only 14 dogs are being trained,” says Roy.

For the handlers these dogs have become family. Lama narrates an incident: “I was going to the national police meet at Simla in 1994 when the dog that was with me died. I was so upset that I even considered giving up my job.” When the dogs leave the training camp, “it’s like parting with a family member”, says Roy.

The dogs generally work for six years, after which the work proves rigorous. Earlier they were auctioned after they stopped work. That has stopped now. “Auctioning them was an insult. We have decided to donate them to dog lovers after verifying their credentials,” says Roy.