Zoom, the Indian Army’s assault canine has suffered critical injuries. His rear leg is fractured and he also has splinter injuries to his face. Image Courtesy: @ChinarcorpsIA/Twitter
Dogs are man’s best friend, goes the saying. On 10 October, an Indian Army dog, named Zoom, also showed how brave and loyal they are.
The canine is now recuperating at Srinagar’s Army Veterinary Hospital after he sustained critical injuries during an encounter between security forces and terrorists in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Here’s what we know about Zoom, the Indian Army’s assault dog and how these canine soldiers are helping the forces.
Zoom’s bravery on display
On the night of 10 October, the Indian Army received information about the presence of terrorists in the Tangpawa area of Anantnag district in South Kashmir.
Acting on the inputs, the security forces launched a cordon and search operation early morning and sent in Zoom to clear the house where the terrorists were hiding.
During the operation, the canine identified and attacked them was shot twice and was critically injured. But even after getting hit, Zoom kept on fighting them and it resulted in the killing of two terrorists.
Zoom was rushed to Srinagar Army’s Veterinary Hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment. The veterinarians at centre said that Zoom had sustained a fracture to his rear leg and also splinter injuries to his face. They added that the next 24-48 hours were crucial.
The Army’s Chinar Corps division released a video on the braveheart to honour its canine member’s contribution in the operation.
According to his Indian Army handlers, Zoom is a highly trained, ferocious and committed dog and is trained to locate and bring down terrorists.
In fact, the canine has been part of many active operations in south Kashmir.
Other brave canines
Zoom isn’t the only Army dog that is making waves with his bravery.
In July, Axel, another assault dog lost his life in a counter-terrorist operation in the Kashmir valley and was posthumously awarded ‘Mention-in Despatches’ for Gallantry. This is the highest gallantry award that an army dog has received for services rendered in counter-insurgency operations.
Serving in the 26 Army Dog Unit in the Kashmir valley, Axel was deployed in a search mission during an anti-terror operation being carried out by the 29 Rashtriya Rifles. While he was clearing the rooms where suspected terrorists were holed up, one of the terrorists in hiding fired at him leading to fatal injuries.
In 2020, two other dogs — Sophie and Vida — were awarded with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Commendations for their bravery.
Sophie, a cocker brown spaniel of the Special Frontier Force (Bomb Disposal Squad), saved lives by sniffing out the presence of initiator/accelerant during a search operation. Vida, a black Labrador from an Army Dog Unit in the Northern Command, was instrumental in detecting five mines and one grenade buried underground, preventing casualties and injuries of troops.
Dogs have been an integral part of the Indian Army since 1960. Before their induction, they are trained at the RVC Centre in Meerut. Image Courtesy: RVC/Facebook
Four-legged fighters in the Army
Dogs have been an integral part of the Indian Army since 1960 and have contributed to a number of operational successes.
The Indian Army has various breeds of dogs in its dog units. These include Labradors, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Great Mountain Swiss Dogs and even indigenous breeds such as the Mudhol hound and the Bakharwal.
In 2019, the Minister of State for Defence had told Parliament that the Army had 25 full dog units and two half units — a full unit comprises of 24 dogs and a half unit has 12.
These canines, which are trained at the Remount Veterinary Corps Centre and College (RVC) situated in Meerut, perform a variety of duties. Their duties include guard duty, patrolling, sniffing explosives including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), mine detection, sniffing contraband items, assaulting potential targets, avalanche debris detection as well as participating in search operations to locate hiding fugitives and terrorists.
The canines undergo rigorous training which begins when they are six-month-old pups and are then placed and have rigorous routines and human company till they retire at eight.
Earlier in August, Lt Col Abhay Khokhar, Dog Squad, Indian Army was quoted by Wion News as saying, “Our dogs are doing wonderful service for the Army as well as the civil population in city areas. They are being used extensively for explosive detection in Road Opening Party (ROP) duties, for sanitising any VIP or vulnerable area. They are actively used as the first responders in the operations also.”
Prior to 2015, after their service, these four-legged soldiers were euthanised. However, after the intervention from the Delhi High Court, they now are taken in by NGOs for adoption or returned to the Army’s RVC centre in Meerut, where they spend the rest of their lives in comfort.
With inputs from agencies
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