MUCH has been highlighted about the heroic dogs that played a pivotal role in the search and rescue (SAR) efforts at the recent Batang Kali landslide in Selangor, but little is known about them.

The dogs became the talk of the nation as Malaysians heaped praise on them and the Bomba K9 unit that handled them.

But, what Malaysians saw was the tail end of the Bomba K9 unit product, which is under the Fire and Rescue Department.

The Malaysian Insight recently visited their base in Kuala Lumpur – set up in 2002 – to get a better understanding of their operations.

K9 unit chief Donny Chap said much effort goes into training the dogs at their station.

He said they currently have 33 dogs, which are labrador retrievers, border collies, English springer spaniels, Belgian malinois and others.

“We usually get the dogs from countries that don’t have many canine diseases.

“Currently we are getting the dogs from the United Kingdom. The creatures we get are not more than two years’ old and are trained. So, they are quite mature to work here,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said that 22 dogs are stationed in Kuala Lumpur, while five are in Sabah and six in Sarawak.  

Chap said when the dogs arrive at the station they are trained in the disciplines that are needed for their operations.

He said the four main functions they are trained on are in fire investigations, SAR urban disaster, SAR cadaver and SAR wilderness.

As for fire investigations, he said the dogs’ duty involves assisting their officers to find the cause of incendiary fire.

On urban disasters, the dogs’ duty will include SAR operations at landslides, collapsed buildings or structures to locate victims who are alive.

The cadaver operation, he said, is to seek out those who have died, be it on land or in the water, while wilderness operation is to locate those who are lost in the forest, cave or mountains.

Chap said their unit has set that the dogs will serve for up to eight years and if the dogs are still healthy they will extend their service to 10 years.

“Most of the dogs have already been here for five to six years.

“When the dogs arrive it usually takes about a month or two for them to bond with the selected handlers. Then most of the time they will be training with their handlers.”

He said all their assigned handlers will train the dogs at specific times.

“Their training is usually two hours a day. We also have three teams on standby every 12 hours if they are needed for operations. After that the dogs are rested.”

The Bomba K9 unit was established in 2002 with two disciplines, which are on fire investigations and urban disaster. It started with 15 officers and 12 dogs.

Last year the K9 unit handled more than 200 operations nationwide, where about 125 of them were on fire investigations and the rest on search and rescue operations.

Department director-general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid said his team is studying the proposal to add a K9 unit in the northern area.

He also said that this year, the department will get 12 more dogs after getting the approval of the Economic Planning Unit.

Creatures’ vital role

Chap said courageous dogs that have contributed to society must continue to be appreciated and given the highest recognition as they are a vital part of the unit.

He said without them the department would not be able to play its role and carry out duties in assisting the people.

“They are our live assets and are crucial to the functionality of this unit in providing services required for any investigations or SAR efforts.

“The dogs have contributed to us and the sacrifices they have made to rescue people who are in distress.”

He said that they had played a pivotal role during various operations, especially at the Batang Kali tragedy recently.

The dogs were awarded medals by the department for the Batang Kali incident.

Handler Salbuddin Salleh, who trains Blake the English springer spaniel, is very proud of his furry friend.

He said that Blake is very attentive and trained in the discipline of finding cadavers.

“Blake is actually a very shy dog. He has the traits of a quiet canine, but very attentive during operations.

“All the dogs here work very hard and we hope they are appreciated for their deeds.”

Another handler, Jovesster Junil, who trains Rusty, said his dog is the most hyperactive in the yard.

“He gets very excited and without the leash he will be all over the place. Rusty has been with us for six years.”

Junil said that Rusty, of the same breed as Blake, has been trained in fire investigations and has assisted in many successful operations. – January 22, 2023.