Three sniffer dogs Hans, Borden and Fidel from the dog squad at Iran’s Anti-Narcotics Police, who as a rule help law enforcement forces find illegal drugs, were at the forefront of efforts of the rescue teams to find the bodies buried under the rubble in the recent Plasco Building collapse in Tehran.
Wherever human traces are found among the debris, the sniffer dogs are taken to the spot and conduct search within several-meter radius of the area.
“If the dogs begin to bark, it means they have found a living person, but if they scratch the ground with their paws, it means the person is dead,” ISNA quoted one of the dog trainers Rezaeipour, identified only by his last name, as saying.
In one instance, the dogs were taken to the spot where fire hoses had been found. They began scratching and firefighters immediately dug the ground to find some bodies, he explained.
One of the three dogs Hans, sustained slight burns to its paws due to the heat from the rubble on which the dogs had to walk. It was treated by veterinarians and is in good condition.
Rezaeipour brushed aside reports that the canines couldn’t perform their tasks properly due to the huge amount of dust and the heat emerging from the constant fires. “The dogs proved useful over the week-long search.”
“Except for the four bodies found in the tunnel, the other bodies were detected by the sniffer dogs,” said Rezaeipour.
A detection dog or sniffer dog is trained to use its senses (almost always the sense of smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, or blood.
The 17-storey commercial building in downtown Tehran collapsed on January 19 after catching fire on the upper floors, injuring over 100 people and trapping dozens others, mostly firefighters and business owners. No exact casualty figures have been officially announced yet.
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