Customs kennel school: this is how the dogs that find bills and drugs work

the real ones AFIP ‘dogs’ They train at a school in Boulogne, in the province of Buenos Aires. There is the K9 Customs Center where the dogs perform exercises and receive veterinary care, and are trained by instructors.

Team K9composed of Carine-AFIP pairs of trainers and dogs today there are 122 operational dogs working at border crossings and ports. In requisitions, the animals – mostly purebreds, although there are also some mestizos who control the Buquebus terminal – find drugs and billsdollars and pesos.

Pairs operates in 27 international airports, 10 major ports and more than 70 border crossings with 5 countries. The school is the only one recognized by OMA where the Spanish language is spoken, World Customs Organization. It is one of only four in all of America. Two are in the United States and one is in Canada.

In 2015, there were 298 dogs in the service, but the center was deactivated during the administration of Together for Change, they say. Carlos Castagnetohead of AFIP, i William Michel, from Carina, during the awards ceremony for pairs of trainers – tin. In the government of Mauricio Macri the second training center in Tandil was also closed.

Now officials are preparing a Regulation on ensuring school operation as “state policy”no matter what color the ruling party is.

At a ceremony with a demonstration and medals, the duo received recognition for their work: Lola discovered 3.7 kilograms of fentanyl in the courier shipment, doc Emma found bills and coins historical. León was rewarded for his discovery 70 kg of cocaine in the bottom of the bed of the motor home and Chola was found by another 57 kg in a fire truck.

Base paste, marijuana and bills – both dollars and pesos – are some of the goods couples have discovered over the past year.

There is a dog race on average 8 years and then ‘retired’. When they do, in the vast majority of cases they are still in the family of their trainers. The relationship between animals and their people is built from puppies and communication between them is essential to recognize signs of animals before finding.

Dogs they enter the service from the age of one and a half, when the character is already maturing. “Before they were teenagers,” the estate’s vets explain.

Health and sanitary examinations

They are located in the center 6 doctors of veterinary medicine, each with a specialty – surgery, anesthesia, laboratory, among others. They are in charge of puppy checks, which determine whether the dogs are suitable, but also perform surgeries if necessary.

Its main task is “preventive health” and they visit customs dogs throughout the country, taking into account the diseases of each region. These are animals that are also in contact with people in ports, airports and crossings, so they must be free from zoonoses.

Besides the school in Boulogne, there are training centers in Bahía Blanca and in Salta. Today, 62 dogs are in the training process. Of these, 42 are in the center of Buenos Aires.

Breeds by region

Due to the climatic differences in the country, different breeds of dogs were chosen. So there is Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Malinois, German Shepherds and Flat-Coated Retrievers. They also test border collie in the northern region, “more possessive dogs, but they show good results,” says Michel.

“We have nothing against stray dogs”, explains instructor Débora Di Biase. But he points out that It is aimed at reproduction and “it is necessary to know the genetics of dogs”.

In the body they have a own hatchery, but they assure that they are looking for only one litter in their life. Bitches are refused service during pregnancy and for the next 60 days, when the puppies are with the mother during the period printingwhen they learn the characteristics of dogs.

Dogs can be obtained from other breeders, but they must demonstrate that the animals do not have pre-existing conditions, such as dysplasia. “Dogs with pathology are not allowed into the service”recognized by veterinarians, who ensure that the tasks themselves do not cause health problems in dogs

How to train a dog

AND myth What follows the training is that the dogs are drugged and therefore detect the substances. In fact, they work with cotton wool soaked in certain substances that are placed near the toys.

After several interactions, the dog associates that where there is a smell, there is a toy, a reward, which is usually a ball.. That one of the incentives we work with: play. Another reinforcement is food. Training has several stages. The relationship with the smell is quickly learned, but then obedience is indicated, the instructors explain.

loves dogs

Dogs are part of their handlers’ families. After 8 to 10 years of service, “in 99% of the time dogs stay with their handlers when they leaveOne of the instructors says that she already has two retired dogs in her house.

Sebastián, an instructor from the North region, admits that it is difficult to part with dogs that have been trained and handed over to another handler. He also says that there are critical dates, such as parties, in which trainers spend Christmas Eve or New Year in schools to be with the dogs and prevent them from being startled or disturbed by fireworks. “It’s played early in the morning to help them relax, and then the music is played to drown out the sound. The whole family contributes to the small speakers.”

The youngest members of the family miss their dogs when they go to work. “Go ahead and leave it to the dog,” the coach heard more than once. On another occasion, when he told his five-year-old daughter that he would not buy her a new doll because she broke it, the girl left him speechless: “but if the one who works is a dog”he retorted.