AFGHANS' BEST FRIEND: MINE CLEARING DOGS: KEEN NOSES FIND PLASTIC-SHIELDED SOVIET DEVICES
KABUL, Afghanistan
January 20, 2002 (Atlanta Journal and Constitution)

By Margaret Coker

Fanny, Kenny and Buck stood in perfect drill formation, their tails wagging and furry faces filled with anticipation for the order to hunt down the enemy.

Ripping off excited barks, the German shepherds raced through the brown grass and mud, in training to search for land mines hidden throughout Afghanistan --- a scourge that maims, wounds or kills as many as 30 civilians every day.

More than 200 German shepherds and another breed, the Belgian malinois, along with their dedicated Afghan handlers, are instrumental in the effort to clear the country, among the most densely mined on Earth.

"The dogs are doing an important job," said Bismullah Kalandari, a canine trainer at the Afghan Mine Detection Center in Kabul. "Together, we are making the land safe for our children again."

The State Department estimated more than 10 million land mines were sown from 1979 to 1989, when the Soviets occupied Afghanistan.

More mines followed. Afghan warlords fought a five-year civil war. It was followed by on-again, off-again battles between the Taliban and Northern Alliance that lasted until November, when the Taliban forces were routed from Kabul with the help of U.S. air power.

The mine detection center, a non-governmental organization that receives assistance from the United Nations and Germany, was started in 1989 by Afghans horrified by the death toll.

"Each day, I hear about or see a child wounded by a land mine," said Shah Wali Ayubi, the manager of the center. "In villages, there are many people without arms or legs."

At least six different aid organizations, with 4,000 de-miners, are working in Afghanistan, but the mine-detection center is the only one that uses dogs.

The most prevalent threat is a Soviet-era anti-personnel mine known as the PMN-2. Made of steel, the PMN-2 is the size of two hockey pucks stacked one on the other. It has a plastic-covered top, which makes it difficult for a metal detector to find.

"The only way to find these hidden menaces is with a dog," Ayubi said. "They are the only ones who can sniff them out."

The dogs are trained to search in a straight line, as far as 15 feet from their handler. A minefield is designated with a grid, so handlers and dogs move in tight rectangles. The dog, on a leash, is trained to walk slowly, without jumping. The handler reads its body language to tell when it is

getting close to a mine --- a prick of the ears, a quickly moving tail and then a bark.

When the bark comes, the handler immediately calls the dog back and notes how far ahead it had moved by the length of the leash.

While the dog enjoys hugs and a rest, a second handler brings his dog over to the same spot. If the second dog verifies the presence of a mine, then the ground is flagged and a de-miner will start the dangerous work of digging out the mine and setting a controlled explosion to detonate it.

Ten handlers and seven dogs have died in work-related accidents since the center was founded. Twelve puppies were born Oct. 1, but two were killed days later when a U.S. warplane mistakenly bombed their kennels.

"It was a very sad day," Kalandari said. "We are working very hard to expand our program, and that was a terrible blow." He became the head puppy trainer five years ago after losing his left eye and his own dog, Axel, when an unstable mine the dog had found blew up in their faces.

At the training facility, the daily routine starts at 6 a.m., rain or shine. Puppies are schooled, and working dogs return every six months for a refresher course. In all, the program has 244 dogs and an equal number of handlers. . .

. . .Puppies born here spend their first six to eight months in socialization courses, followed by six to eight months of ball training, in which they learn simple obedience and fetching. Dogs that show exceptional aptitude graduate to the next level.

The next stage matches dogs with their handlers, forming a team that will work together for about six years, the average dog's working life. (At retirement, dogs are placed with private owners and are never destroyed, Ayubi said. The same goes for puppies who fail to show aptitude for the work.)…