Sixteen Canine Officers, who completed their years of service in the Penitentiary System, recently retired. To say goodbye, they held a final demonstration of their skills in detecting illegal substances, explosives, money, and other materials, as well as their capabilities in search and rescue. The retirement ceremony took place in Veracruz.
Omar Reyes Colmenares, head of the Decentralized Body of Prevention and Social Reintegration (PRS), expressed his gratitude to the commander in charge of the Canine Unit for his work in ensuring security in federal prisons. He particularly highlighted the work of Commander Luis Fernando Pérez Buendía, in charge of the Canine Units of Prevention and Social Reintegration, for his outstanding work with the canine officers.
Upon saying farewell, the canine pairs demonstrated their operational capabilities, obtained after rigorous training. The event was attended by the adoptive families who will care for the retired dogs for the rest of their lives. These families were selected under strict standards to ensure the protection and proper care of the retired specimens.
The canine pairs not only have the ability to detect illicit substances, but they can also prevent the entry of pests and diseases. This has been demonstrated in the work of the National Service of Health, Safety, and Quality Agro-food (Senasica), an institution that has its own canine school. These dogs are trained for three months and then paired with a handler at ports, airports, borders, and other federal inspection points.
During their training, dogs learn to detect five basic scents and are later taught to identify other scents according to their assignment location. To become part of this team, the dogs must be between 1 and 2 years old, show interest in using their sense of smell, be friendly with people and other animals, enjoy play, and be free from chronic degenerative diseases. With these actions, the SSPC reaffirms its commitment to providing its Canine Officers a dignified retirement.
