Coast Guard to train rescue dogs

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) would soon be breeding and training its own rescue and retrieval dogs to help search for people trapped under debris after landslides and earthquakes struck Negros Oriental.

PCG commandant Vice Admiral Edmund Tan said they would start breeding dogs this year to help rescuers in searching for survivors of calamities.

“We must remember that the PCG is no longer just concentrated in performing rescue missions at sea, but also on land and that is why we have decided that apart from our bomb-sniffing dogs and explosive-trained canines, we would now breed and train dogs for rescue and retrieval purposes,” Tan said.

The PCG is planning to train about 20 dogs for their rescue and retrieval operations. The training may take six to eight months.

Tan said they would have to spend an estimated P300,000 to P500,000 to cover expenses such as the training of dogs and their handlers as well as their food and vitamins.

The training would be conducted at the PCG-K9 unit in Taguig City. At present, PCG has more than 100 dogs, most of them trained to detect explosives.

The PCG has been lending support to areas and provinces stricken by calamities, such as Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City that were hit by tropical storm “Sendong’’ last December.

The agency also assisted in delivering relief goods to the residents in Negros Oriental affected by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake.