Police dogs go viral in Bangkok
Images adapted from:Street Hero Project, Chandpath Mickey Timsootheepant
Following a series of bombing incidents in Bangkok city on 2nd August 2019, security measures were tightened, including having security dogs scouting public transportation like the MRT and BTS.
Turns out, 2 on-duty K-9s weren’t just looking out for people’s safety, but were also lightening up our heavy hearts during a scary time.
Canines caught sniffing a “suspicious” bag of pork
In a viral photo posted by Facebook user Chandpath Mickey Timsootheepant, 2 K-9 Labrador Retrievers were seen sniffing a big bag of dried shredded pork on the BTS.
A wave of netizens were teasing and commenting on the photo, saying that both canines were hungry while on duty, and that they would like to investigate the “suspicious item” by eating it.
Translation: The boys are hungry, lol
Translation: The boys want to investigate…by eating them!
Source: Chandpath Mickey Timsootheepant
On that same day, a Twitter user named @xe_Gus revealed that the lady who was holding said bag of dried shredded pork in the viral photo was her mother.
Source: @xe_Gus
She added that her mother wanted to give the pork to the dogs but, unfortunately, it belonged to her customers.
K-9s revealed to be Robo and Ben
Over the weekend, a Facebook page named Street Hero Project humorously defended both canines, saying that it was a part of their job.
Translation: Yesterday, a picture of me sniffing dried shredded pork went viral. But I actually am professional. My team and I will work for your safety. Today I will introduce myself and my team.
Source: Street Hero Project
On top of that, they revealed the pups’ identities.The black dog’s name is Ben and he’s 1.6 years old, while the brown one is Robo, and he’s 1.3 years old.
Left: Robo, Right: Ben
Image credit: Street Hero Project
Both dogs have been through long training programmes
Obviously, Ben and Robo are not the only ones that work to ensure the safety of citizens. In fact, there’s a group of them in the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand’s K-9 department. Their main duty is to look for suspicious and harmful items such as explosives on trains.
Image credit: Street Hero Project
Like their human companions, these dogs are trained hard before being put on duty for their own safety. Thairath News reported that there are only 2 breeds of dogs eligible for the K-9 program: Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds. Apparently, these breeds have a better sense of scent than others.
A pup is trained to get around a dark and narrow place by walking through a small tunnel
Image credit: Thairath
All dogs in the program undergo a training programme for 16 weeks, from basic to specific commands tailored for each line of work. Each dog will likely be chosen for one out of four types of work: finding drugs, finding explosives, finding evidence, and defense.
High-jump training to save themselves in urgent situations
Image credit: Thairath
Robo and Ben may be adorable and friendly, but their duty is far greater than just entertaining us by being cute. After all, the safety of commuters are placed in their paws.
This story proves, again, that dogs are truly man’s best friend.