Goodbye Finn, Cory and Sam: Police to auction off three retired K9 dogs

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will sell three elderly dogs bought from the United Kingdom, as they are no longer able to operate for the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit's specialised K9 unit.

The DMP's CTTC unit has also called for an open bid on 25 November to sell these specially trained dogs as part of its routine elimination of outdated and elderly dogs.

According to the tender notice, businessmen, auction bidders, contractors, and dog enthusiasts have been invited to an open auction at noon on the same day.

DMP Deputy Commissioner (Logistics) called the auction in an open notice.

Finn, Cory, and Sam – these three have been listed for open auction at the Police Canine Team Headquarters at Mirpur Police Lines in Mirpur-14 on 25 November.

Among the three, Finn is a male Labrador born in the United Kingdom on 10 March 2017. The second one, Cory, is a female Labrador, also born in the UK, on 26 February 2017. The last one, Sam, is a male German Shepherd born on 14 February 2017. 

Dogs purchased from the UK. Photos: Courtesy

Dhaka Metropolitan Police formed a specialised Canine Unit, widely regarded as K-9, to better combat militancy and terrorism by detecting explosives and dangerous objects in 2016. The ten canines – six German Shepherds and four Labrador Retrievers – were bought from the United Kingdom.

The specially trained dogs served as members of the Special Action Unit of the CTTC division.

At the time of the unit's launch, the then DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah announced plans to procure ten more dogs.

This correspondent visited the London Metropolitan Police in recent months, and at least two officials from the London Metropolitan Police told The Business Standard that the average lifespan of a Labrador Retriever is generally 10 to 14 years.

"As a large breed dog, a Labrador is typically considered a senior around 6 to 8 years of age, earlier than smaller breeds, which age more slowly. This is because larger dogs experience more physical stress on their joints and organs, which contributes to an accelerated ageing process," one official said.

Another K9 expert also said that a Labrador's face undergoes physical changes around age 7 or 8. "You might notice signs of ageing such as a greying muzzle, reduced energy levels, increased sleep, and potential stiffness or difficulty with movement during this period."

This age often brings a higher risk of common health concerns that can affect their quality of life, including obesity, joint problems, and cancer issues.

Labradors have a strong tendency to overeat, and weight gain worsens age-related issues like arthritis, which causes joint problems. Hip and elbow dysplasia and arthritis are common. Labradors are unfortunately one of the breeds more likely to die of cancer.

According to both officials, after ages 7-8, German Shepherds are prone to joint problems like arthritis, hip dysplasia, and elbow dysplasia, which can cause stiffness and pain.

Other common issues include degenerative myelopathy (a spinal cord disease), which causes hind limb weakness, as well as a higher risk for conditions like bloat, pancreatitis, and age-related eye problems such as cataracts. However, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police mentioned in the tender notice that all three dogs – Finn, Cory, and Sam – are in healthy condition.

The DMP Bomb Disposal Unit and CTTC Special Action Unit's then Additional Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sanwar Hossain, supervisor of the K-9 Squad, told the media that the dog squad would work to prevent sabotage by militants and terrorists and in other special drives.

The dogs cost DMP over Tk1 crore in purchase and training. They were trained following England's latest training manual to maintain international standards, then ADC Sanwar added.

Five police officers from DMP received training in the UK and then trained the dogs. They also trained 25 other policemen on the management of the canine squad.