The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) of Taiwan launched a dog unit for its Northern Branch on Monday (Sept. 16) in a bid to crack down on border crime and bolster disease prevention.
The canine unit, which currently has 15 dogs in service, includes Labrador retrievers, German shepherds, Tervuren, and English springer spaniels. The dog guards will receive four months of training before carrying out missions starting next year.
The training involves sessions to help the dogs sniff out substances, explosives, as well as agricultural, aquatic, and husbandry products. By utilizing the dog’s sense of smell, which is up to 100,000 times more accurate than people, the CGA believes it will have an enhanced detection and inspection network at the island’s ports and harbors.
According to Director-General Chen Guo-en (陳國恩) of CGA, the agency used to have a 200-strong military dog unit countering human trafficking and smuggling, before the task force was disbanded in 2015. The new squad will focus on fighting new threats, including the spread of African swine fever and drug trafficking.
By Taiwan News
