It is always difficult to bid goodbye to the ones you love. This holds true even in a close bond between a human and a canine. As auction goers shouted out their bids on a sunny Saturday at the Police Kennels in Kandy, it was evident that the Police handlers holding on to the collars of their dogs found it difficult to rein in their emotions. As tears welled up in the eyes of some handlers, the dogs sensing that something unusual was about to take place, were seen moving closer to the only master and friend they had known since birth.
This was a prime example of the bond they both shared. But auction goers unaware of this special connection, were seen shouting out their bids to gain ownership of the dogs. Going once, going twice and gone! the auctioneer said, not once but twenty-five times on the day, bringing an end to the almost ten year relationship between the handler and his canine friend.
Dog ouction
 Breathe, who was auctioned for the highest price on the day |
As some handlers now cried openly, the dogs had to be handed over to their new owners who had paid good money to purchase them. These were the emotional scenes on August 15, where 25 dogs belonging to the Police Kennel Division in Kandy were auctioned after being deemed unsuitable to continue in the Police service. While auctioning of Police service dogs has been a common practice over the years the auction of 25 dogs attached to the division this year was much discussed among the public for two different reasons.
One is the open public sentiments on social media about the separation of these animals from their owners and the auction of these animals who have made a significant contribution to the Police Department in curbing crime. The other is that one dog was sold at possibly the highest price at an auction since the Police Kennel Division was established in 1948. A Labrador dog with an average market value of around Rs. 40,000 was sold at this auction for a whopping Rs. 101,000.
This dog named Breathe was received by the Police Official Dog Division about six months ago as a public donation. Breathe who is about two years old, had to be auctioned because it had proven difficult to train the fun loving dog for Police duty. A Labrador dog named Simba was auctioned for Rs. 50,000, a Belgian Malinois dog named Rex for Rs. 23,000, a Rottweiler named Reggie for Rs. 17,500 and a Dalmatian dog named Lily for Rs. 16,000.
The lowest bid was for a dog named Rosy. As she was over 10 years old the price was set at Rs. 1,100. The Police made Rs. 315,800.00 from the auction of 25 dogs on the day.
Hero and Alvin
The dogs auctioned on the day, Hero was a special one for the Sri Lanka Police. Hero, a Beglian Malinois that was put up for auction, had been attached to the Anuradhapura Police Official Kennel Unit for about 10 years. Heros had helped in over 400 drug investigations as well as drug busts.
Alvin too was known to be a talented dog who carried out his duties efficiently. Working in the Horana Police Official Kennel Unit, Alvin has assisted in solving about 200 criminal cases. Betka had served in the Slave Island Police Kennel Unit. She too had contributed to around 110 criminal investigations. Among the dogs auctioned, Simba, Brando, Emma, Gerard, Breit and Nicks had been donated by the public to the Kennel division.
According to SI Sugath Wijesinghe attached to the Police Kennels Division said that ,Lily had been born at the division itself. “She is about a year old and it is difficult to train her,” he said, adding that others had been imported from Belgium. “No matter how much you tell them, there are people who do not do what they are told. Similarly there are dogs who are the same. We cannot train them. That is why they have to be auctioned off” Wijesinghe said.
Training process
A dog should be referred for training before the age of one year. After about six months of basic training, the dog’s special skills are identified. It determines whether the official dog will be used in drug search duties, crime prevention duties or VIP security duties. From the beginning of the training to the end of the duty life, the care of the dog is assigned to the same officer. An animal that obeys the master’s command to the fullest can be perhaps likened to that of a father and child. It is common to hear stories of dogs who refuse to eat if the owner does not come to work, and even of officers who refuse to eat if the dog becomes ill.
Unbreakable friendship
Because of this, there are policemen who even get the assistance of friends to bid for their dogs at the auction so that they can keep them. Even at this auction there were several policemen who bid for their dogs even as the bids went higher in a desperate move to hold onto their loved animals. Four such officers were able to keep their dogs after competitively bidding for them. “Some dogs can’t be trained. They don’t listen. Some are suffering from illnesses. We cannot tire them. There are also those who have worked hard for more than 10 years but cannot do so anymore due to poor health. The veterinarian of the Police Kennel Division inspects these dogs and recommends that they be removed from service. We then forward this list to the Inspector General of Police.
The names of the dogs to be auctioned by the Property Management Division established at the Police Headquarters are then gazetted. Only then will the auction date be set. About an hour before the auction, we show the dogs to those who come to buy them. The open auction is held after explaining all the factors such as their breed, illness and age. An auction board is appointed by the Police Department.
State property
This time the supervising officer was ASP Palahawadana. Dogs have been auctioned in this manner since the establishment of the Police Kennel Division. This is the second auction held this year. Animals that we receive as public donations are considered state property. Therefore, it is not possible to return the animal to the person who donated the dog. If he wants he can buy the dog at auction” OIC of the Kandy Police Official Dog Division, Chief Inspector Priyantha Kulasekara said.
At present there are about 280 official dogs attached to the Kandy Police Kennel Division. They are engaged in VIP security operations as well as attached to 58 Police kennel units islandwide and provide their service to various crime prevention activities. According to the Police Department, maintaining one dog costs around Rs. 80,000.00 per month along with the salary of the officer handling the animal. The amount spent per day on dog food alone is close to Rs. 1000. In the event of an accidental death while on duty, the dog’s funeral will be conducted with police honours. But if they reach old age they are often auctioned off without being given any honours.
While the public can often be heard criticising the Police, claiming ‘it has gone to the dogs’, what must be noted is that more often than not the Police have managed to shine bright due to their service dogs. Unbowed and unafraid in the face of power and money, the dogs that go in seach for clues to uphold the law and justice are truly some of the most respected members of Sri Lanka’s Police force. Therefore, it should be considered how justified it is to make these canines provide a dignified service to the country and live with new owners away from their masters in the last years of their lives.
Dhammika Wedikkara of Kandy, who bought Breathe the Labrador for Rs. 101,000 said, “I had two German Shepherd dogs that lived for about 14 years. The kids always said they wanted a dog. That’s why we came to this auction to get a trained dog.As soon as the children saw this dog they said they wanted him. Initially, a minimum bid of Rs. 5,000 was put up. But later people began to place higher bids on him. The children said we would take it somehow.
So ,I also increased the price and asked for the dog. Eventually the price went over Rs. 100 000. It was only later that I found out that this was the first time a dog had been sold for such a high price at an auction at the Police Kennel”.
Translated by Maneshka Borham
Pix: Ruwan Meegammana
