1. 20
Creature Companion | July 2015
Cover Story
T
he statement given by Indian
Army on the said issue, sparked
a controversy across the nation
and most of the people are in unison about
making a point that rather than giving
them euthanasia for being unfit, give them
up for adoptions in NGOs, so that they will
be able to get some love and affection in
return which they are deprived of in their
lifetime.
The reply to the RTI application said, “Army
horses and dogs are evaluated for their
fitness with respect to the performance of
duties. The animals which are considered
unfit for one month active service are
disposed of by humane euthanasia.”
The reply was questioned by all the
animal lovers and animal rights activists
& organisations, asking, “Does the Indian
Army euthanize their own soldiers who
retire after a certain period, and if not, why
the animals who cannot even speak for
themselves?”
In general, the Indian Army uses
Labradors, German Shepherds and Belgian
Shepherds breeds depending on the
altitudes and weather, besides the nature of
Instead of Medals & Love,
Army Canine Comrades are
Euthanized on Retirement!
The recent report by a national daily caused a furore and the common people
made an outcry on the reply of a RTI application by Indian Army. The RTI plea was
made to Indian Army for seeking details about “the method of disposal of animals,
including dogs and horses in the Army?” To which the Indian Army replied that
such dogs & horses are given “Euthanasia” for being unfit for a month. Kritika
Pushkarna, Editor, Creature Companion asked people about their reaction on the
statement given by Indian Army. Read more to find out their reactions…
the assignment, which may include routine
patrol to explosives detection.
As per the report, a retired Army official
on conditions of anonymity has disclosed
that the Army puts to sleep its dogs, if it
is unable to keep up with the rigour of
its duty, even if it has a few years of life
ahead.
The dogs that are taken into the Army
are trained at several places including
Remount Veterinary Corps, Meerut and
National Training Centre for Dogs and
Animals, Chandigarh; after that only they
are absorbed into the Army.
Maj Gen (Retd) Kharb, who also happens
to be the chairman of Animal Welfare
Board of India, said, “Each dog specialises
in a particular field; they are used for
several tasks and duties such as infantry
patrol, tracking, explosive detection,
guarding bases, and casualty detection in
times of disaster.”
But why not rehabilitate the dogs after they
retire? The official cites another reason,
that of a security concern. “Since they are
familiar with the base location, it is not
ideal that they end up in civilian hands,”
he said.
Courtesy : Avaaz.org

2. Kharb disagrees with this argument, but says
euthanasia is resorted to mainly because
if the retired dogs were rehabilitated with
NGOs and animal welfare organisations,
“they would not be able to maintain these
dogs with the kind of facilities the Indian
Army provided them.”
Kharb also said that according to
Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act,
ordinary dogs could be euthanized only
in rare cases, like if they suffer from an
incurable disease. “But euthanasia of unfit
army dogs is a policy decision of the Union
government,” he said.
“The Army can’t play God,” said Blue Cross
of India general manager, Dawn Williams.
“The retired dogs just need food and
shelter. Out of the huge funds it gets every
year, the Army could easily rehabilitate
its retired dogs. While serving the nation,
dogs are indispensable, and as soon as
they become old or unfit for service, the
army washes its hand off them. This is
deplorable,” Williams said.
An online petition was also made on avaaz.
org addressed to the Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar and PM of India Hon'ble
Narendra Modi to mark their concern over
the issue and over 20k people have signed it.
The petition titled “Indian Army - Give them
medals, not death sentences” has marked
a strong point and states that “It’s a brutal
use-and-throw policy, Indian army dogs and
horses dedicate their lives to service. But the
minute they grow old or fail a fitness test,
the army kills them! These brave animals
regularly save citizens’ lives, and should be
given medals, not death sentences.”
After this online petition was filed, a
Meerut based NGO named Animal Care
Society (ACS) has announced that its
upcoming animal shelter will be dedicated
to such retired animals if the Army permits
adoption.
Anshumali Vashisht, Founding Secretary
of ACS announcing the practice has said
in an interview with TOI that “The Army
euthanizes animals when they deem them
to be useless. Euthanasia should only be
practiced when the animal is in insufferable
pain and it is merciful to let them go. Killing
an animal just because you have no use for it
is just cruelty. If the establishment permits,
we will give shelter to those animals.”
Creature Companion does not support
euthanasia in any way and wants the
government and Defence Minister to
reconsider this decision. Like a retired
human, a dog also has its life ahead and
should be allowed the freedom to live his
remaining life with happiness, care and love.

3. 22
Creature Companion | July 2015
Cover Story
Bhuvaneshwari Gupta,
Campaign Advisor, PETA
Animals claim no nation and take no political sides. For animals, there are
no peace treaties, just our mercy. Dogs, like people, get tired, bored, and
depressed. They also need a break and can be unreliable.
That’s the reason why researchers in the UK are working on a sensor-
mounted robot with an artificial, programmed sense of smell that will work
better than a dog in sniffing out substances. Scientists at the Indian Institute of
Science have also created a highly sensitive fluorescent polymer that scouts out
a class of commonly used explosives.
At PETA, we urge the army to move toward the use of technology and not
animals for guarding, finding explosives and other work. We encourage
everyone concerned about this issue to pledge to rescue and adopt, and to
never buy/sell dogs.
Rohan Rawat,
Founder, Karma for Tuffy
Humans today are indeed in a state of loss; we have long
back lost our legitimate right to be called humans. The
humble dog lives his whole life on only one principal, which
is, faithfulness. But his master seldom learns that even after
being served for years by that faithful canine servant. This
happens every day, on every street and every gully of the
country; and doesn’t surprise us much now.
It was indeed a huge shock to hear of the fate of Army dogs
as revealed by the RTI on the same a few days back. The
same government that can be so nice and justifiably thankful
to its human soldiers, offering so many retirement benefits;
cannot just spend a few thousands or probably lakhs for the
darker days of that canine who has bitten bombs to save this
country?
Will the Indian Government become bankrupt if it decides to take care of a few hundred or a thousand military dogs? At Karma
for Tuffy, we spend many sleepless nights rescuing abandoned, injured and desperate dogs from streets of Bangalore, Delhi and
other metro cities. We would like to urge to our honourable PM to play his part and decide to save those brave dogs and grant
them a respectable retirement.
Let him be the voice of those voiceless or the nation will have to raise its voice. The youth of today has changed and we, as
young Indians carry values and are not afraid to speak.

4. 23
Creature Companion | July 2015
Niharika A. Lohia,
Artist and Animal Lover
Idon't think murder of any
kind is necessary. The fact that
murder/killing still exists is due to
our mentality of using people and
other living things as disposable
commodities. If we need the help of
animals for our protection, we must
give protection to them in return.
They are not pieces of paper which
once used, can be thrown away.
There needs to be a model in place to
safely house and place these dogs in
the right location to receive care.
The army by far has the most
beautiful properties assigned to them
for training and development. They
also have injured personnel who
can use the help of these marvellous
creatures. The army has to figure out
a way to keep these animals safe and
well treated. I often think what are
we protecting, if not humanity?
If the protectors of the nation can
heartlessly murder loyal companions,
they can extend this torture even to
humans behind closed doors. We
have to protect humanity, and that
should not stop with humankind.
This laziness and greed to keep
all the endorsements given to the
army to them, instead of searching
for a humane way to protect these
creatures who have protected us is an
abuse of power and liberty.
Vasudha Mehta,
Co-founder & Trustee - JAAGRUTI™
“Euthanizing inactive dogs and horses
should be the last option for the Army and
all security forces that ‘employ’ animals. In my
opinion, the first option should be to encourage
their own employees to adopt them for their last
years, after all most Army families have
big campus accommodation and a fondness to
keep pets.
The second option should be for Army to invest in
Rehabilitation centres for such animals and manage
these centres themselves. Army/Defence forces own
a major percentage of land across the country.
For these rehabilitation centres, the Indian Army
can have a look at the German Army, which as per
a recent news story, is turning 62 military bases into
wildlife sanctuaries; our Army can well invest into
a Rehabilitation centre for its 'retired' canine and
equine employees.
Taronish Bulsara,
Co-founder & President, World For All Animal Care and Adoptions
The thought of putting down an animal that’s healthy or capable of recovery without
giving them a chance in itself is heartbreaking. We human beings are known for time
and again to be extremely selfish with our desires. An animal that has served the nation
through its lifetime must be given special care and attention during its old age.
Without question, they deserve just as much respect and benefits as their human
team members receive after their retirement. As superior specie, humans must support
and co-exist with other species especially those who’ve provided such brave services. The
government ought to inculcate a compassionate approach and fulfil their responsibility
towards these four legged army comrades.
Over the years, World or All as an organisation has rescued many old, paralysed and
amputee street animals, most of which have successfully recovered under intensive care.
Similarly, all that’s required by these retired animals is patience, compassion and concern. No
individual or organisation has the right to take away the life of a living being.
We will be honoured to go out of our way to help these brave hearts if given a chance.