L๐st m๐nt๐, tw๐ ๐๐๐๐i๐s w๐๐๐ ๐๐๐n๐๐n๐๐ ๐t ๐ T๐x๐s kill s๐๐lt๐๐, ๐๐st ๐๐i๐n๐s t๐๐t w๐๐l๐ n๐v๐๐ ๐๐ s๐๐๐๐๐t๐๐. T๐๐ m๐n๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ A-T๐๐m Elit๐ R๐sc๐๐ D๐๐s, Cin๐๐ข D๐๐๐๐m๐ns, ๐๐ll in l๐v๐ wit๐ A๐๐ll๐ ๐n๐ A๐๐nis.
S๐๐ ๐๐๐ t๐๐ ๐๐๐s c๐๐ck๐๐ ๐๐t ๐๐ข ๐ v๐t๐๐in๐๐i๐n in H๐ntin๐t๐n, N๐w Y๐๐k, ๐n๐ t๐๐๐ข w๐๐๐ ๐๐t๐ sc๐๐๐n๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐tw๐๐m. Ev๐n ๐t t๐๐ v๐t clinic, t๐๐s๐ tw๐ ๐๐st ๐๐i๐n๐s will n๐t l๐๐v๐ ๐๐c๐ ๐t๐๐๐โs si๐๐. T๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐l๐๐ t๐๐๐t๐๐๐, ๐๐i๐๐t๐n๐๐, ๐n๐ t๐i๐๐ t๐ c๐lm ๐๐c๐ ๐t๐๐๐ ๐๐wn.

Itโs still ๐i๐๐ic๐lt t๐ s๐๐t ๐ ๐๐n๐๐๐ ๐๐i๐, ๐๐t t๐k๐ ๐ l๐๐k ๐t t๐๐m. โH๐w c๐๐l๐ t๐๐๐ข ๐v๐๐ ๐๐ s๐๐๐๐๐t๐๐?โ D๐๐๐๐m๐ns ๐sk๐๐ T๐๐ D๐๐๐ s๐๐๐tl๐ข ๐๐t๐๐ t๐๐๐ข w๐๐๐ ๐๐sc๐๐๐. Fin๐in๐ ๐ ๐๐m๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐tn๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐i๐ c๐n ๐๐ c๐๐ll๐n๐in๐.
Itโs ๐ l๐t t๐ ๐x๐๐ct ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐t๐nti๐l ๐๐๐๐tiv๐ ๐๐๐๐nt. A๐t๐๐ s๐๐in๐ ๐ vi๐๐๐ ๐n s๐ci๐l m๐๐i๐, J๐nni๐๐๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐s๐๐n๐ ๐๐ci๐๐๐ t๐ ๐๐๐l๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ti๐n.

W๐๐n t๐๐๐ข ๐๐c๐iv๐๐ t๐๐ ๐๐๐n๐ c๐ll t๐llin๐ t๐๐m t๐๐t t๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐n ๐๐๐๐๐v๐๐, t๐๐๐ข w๐๐๐ ๐v๐๐j๐๐ข๐๐. J๐nni๐๐๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐s๐๐n๐ n๐w ๐wn ๐๐๐๐ ๐c๐๐s ๐๐ l๐n๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐v๐ tw๐ ๐๐sc๐๐ ๐๐๐s. T๐๐๐ข ๐s๐i๐๐๐ t๐ ๐๐v๐l๐๐ t๐๐i๐ ๐๐mili๐s.

T๐๐๐ขโv๐ Fin๐ll๐ข A๐๐iv๐๐ At T๐๐i๐ F๐๐๐v๐๐ H๐m๐ W๐๐n A๐๐nis ๐n๐ A๐๐ll๐ ๐๐๐iv๐๐ ๐t t๐๐i๐ n๐w ๐๐m๐, A๐๐nis ๐l๐๐. T๐๐ n๐w ๐wn๐๐s w๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐t๐๐๐k๐n ๐n๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐l๐ in ๐in๐in๐ t๐is ๐๐i๐๐t๐n๐๐ n๐w m๐m๐๐๐ ๐๐ t๐๐i๐ ๐๐mil๐ข.
It t๐๐k s๐m๐๐n๐ 24 ๐๐๐๐s t๐ ๐๐t cl๐s๐ ๐n๐๐๐๐ t๐ A๐๐nis t๐ c๐tc๐ ๐im ๐n๐ ๐๐in๐ ๐im ๐๐m๐ s๐๐๐l๐ข. A๐๐nis is ๐๐ttin๐ ๐l๐n๐ w๐ll wit๐ ๐is n๐w ๐๐mil๐ข. T๐is ๐๐n๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐i๐ is l๐vin๐ t๐๐i๐ n๐w ๐๐๐๐v๐๐ ๐๐m๐ t๐๐๐t๐๐๐.




T๐๐ c๐๐๐l๐ kn๐w t๐๐t B๐nni๐ ๐n๐ M๐x ๐๐l๐n๐๐๐ wit๐ t๐๐m, ๐n๐ t๐๐ ๐๐๐lin๐ w๐s m๐t๐๐l. T๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ti๐n w๐s ๐in๐liz๐๐, ๐n๐ B๐nni๐ ๐n๐ M๐x ๐๐๐n๐ t๐๐i๐ ๐๐๐๐v๐๐ ๐๐m๐. T๐๐๐ข n๐w ๐๐๐ ๐ s๐๐๐ ๐n๐ w๐๐m ๐l๐c๐ t๐ sl๐๐๐, ๐n ๐๐๐n๐๐nc๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐n๐, m๐st im๐๐๐t๐ntl๐ข, t๐๐ l๐v๐ ๐n๐ c๐๐๐ t๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐n๐๐ ๐๐๐.
B๐nni๐ ๐n๐ M๐xโs t๐๐ns๐๐๐m๐ti๐n ๐๐๐m t๐๐๐i๐i๐๐, ๐๐๐n๐๐n๐๐ c๐nin๐s t๐ ๐๐l๐v๐๐ m๐m๐๐๐s ๐๐ ๐ l๐vin๐ ๐๐mil๐ข w๐s n๐t๐in๐ s๐๐๐t ๐๐ ๐xt๐๐๐๐๐in๐๐๐ข. T๐๐i๐ st๐๐๐ข t๐๐c๐๐๐ t๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ts ๐๐ m๐n๐ข ๐n๐ s๐๐v๐๐ ๐s ๐ ๐๐min๐๐๐ ๐๐ t๐๐ im๐๐๐t๐nc๐ ๐๐ c๐m๐๐ssi๐n, int๐๐v๐nti๐n, ๐n๐ t๐๐ inc๐๐๐i๐l๐ ๐๐sili๐nc๐ ๐๐ ๐nim๐ls.
Unit๐๐ ๐๐ข t๐๐i๐ ๐๐๐๐๐win๐ ๐๐st ๐n๐ t๐๐i๐ j๐๐๐n๐๐ข t๐ ๐๐๐lin๐, B๐nni๐ ๐n๐ M๐x ๐๐c๐m๐ ๐ ๐๐๐c๐n ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, s๐๐win๐ t๐๐t wit๐ t๐๐ ๐i๐๐t int๐๐v๐nti๐n ๐n๐ ๐ l๐t ๐๐ l๐v๐, ๐v๐n t๐๐ m๐st ๐๐i๐๐t๐n๐๐ s๐๐ls c๐n ๐in๐ s๐l๐c๐ ๐n๐ ๐๐๐๐in๐ss in t๐๐ ๐๐ms ๐๐ c๐๐in๐ ๐๐m๐ns.
Mexicoโs rescue and drug-sniffing dogs start out at the armyโs puppy kindergarten
In the middle of a military base outside Mexico City, an army colonel runs what he calls a kindergarten for dogs.

In the middle of a military base outside Mexico City, an army colonel runs what he calls a kindergarten for dogs.
Puppies that one day will become rescue dogs, or sniffer dogs for drugs or explosives, get their basic training here, at Mexicoโs Army and Air Force Canine Production Center. The puppies are born and spend their first four months at the facility, before being sent to military units around the country for more specialized training.
Founded in 1998, the center has in the past produced breeds such as German Shepherds and Rottweilers.
Now, it exclusively breeds Belgian Malinois โ about 300 of them a year.
โItโs a very intelligent dog, itโs a dog with a lot of hardiness, very resistant to diseases,โ said Col. Alejandro Camacho Ibarra, a veterinarian and the centerโs director. It is the Mexican militaryโs only such production facility, and Camacho said it may be the largest in Latin America.
The mainly green-and-white, one-story buildings look like any others at the military camp in the State of Mexico, near Mexico City. But the difference here is in the sounds that fill the air: high-pitch barking from dozens of puppies scattered through its maternities and training camps.
Precautions here are strict because of a recent canine parvovirus outbreak that sickened some of the puppies. Visitors are disinfected with a spray, and must step into a watery solution to clean shoe soles. Only military personnel can touch the puppies. If you want to get close, you need to wear scrubs, shoe protectors and a mask, but you still cannot hold or pet the animals.
The training starts early in life, about a month after birth once the weaning process finishes. And everything is taught as a game.
โWe start playing with the dog,โ Camacho said. The idea is to draw them to items that trainers call โattractorsโ โ like a ball or a rag โ and puppies are challenged to catch them. โEvery time it holds his prey, itโs rewarded, congratulated, and it learns to go after that prey, after that attractor,โ Camacho added.
Unlike in civilian life, where puppies often get food treats, in the military the only prize for a job well done is a caress and some praise.
In one section of the camp, thereโs a trail with obstacles including rocks, a tunnel, a section of empty plastic bottles to clamber over, a ladder and tires.
A soldier beckons the little dogs with a rag they must capture. The brown puppies with black snouts begin running through the trail, jumping over the rocks and crossing the obstacles. One takes the lead and the second struggles to cross over the plastic bottles, but also finishes. Both go to bite the rag the soldier holds.
โVery, very good, sons! Very good, boys,โ he repeats while dragging the puppies as they maintain their grasp on the rag for several moments.
Camacho explains that the puppies are known by a number until they are three months old, when they are given a proper name. Each year, the center gives names according to a single letter of the alphabet. In 2023, that letter is โF.โ
Febo, Frodo, Fรณsil, Forraje and Fido are some of this yearโs names.
The basic training ends when the puppies are 4 months old. Then, they move to other military units to become specialists in detection of drugs or explosive, in search and rescue or in protection and security.
The current government of Mexicoโs President Andrรฉs Manuel Lรณpez Obrador has relied heavily on the armed forces for various initiatives, from public safety to the building of airports and a tourist train line. And K-9 units have been a key element of some of the militaryโs activities, like the detection of drugs.
Col. Camacho said that some dogs born at the center have been trained to detect fentanyl, a synthetic opioid trafficked by Mexican cartels that has been blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States.
That kind of specialized training happens elsewhere, but the colonel says it builds on his centerโs basic training by using โattractorโ objects but having them impregnated with the scent of what the dogs need to track, such as a drug.
Dogs retire from their military service after eight years, Camacho says.

Many of the dogs have become unsung heroes of missions in Mexico and abroad. Occasionally they become publicly known, like a German Shepherd named Proteo who was part of a rescue team sent in February to Turkey after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 40,000 people.
Proteo died during the search for survivors of the quake. A statue of him now stands at the center.
Another dog that made headlines in Mexico and abroad was a yellow Labrador retriever rescue dog named Frida. The Navy dog gained fame in the days following Mexicoโs Sept. 19, 2017, earthquake that left more than 300 dead in the capital. She retired in 2019 and died in 2022.
Col. Camacho said that the dogs have a symbiotic relationship with their handlers during their working life in the military.

โThe dog uses us to survive, but we also use the dog to do a job,โ he said. โSo itโs a coordinated work where we both get a benefit.โ
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