June 21 - Day of dog handicraft units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia

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June 21 is the Day of cynological divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, which many dog breeders consider their “branch holiday” and simply called the Day of Cynologist. Officially, it was approved by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation No. 383 of June 18, 2004.

In Russia, the practice of dog service in the police began in 1906 on the initiative of the chief of the St. Petersburg detective department, VI. Lebedeva. And after 3 years in Moscow, a police dog of the Doberman Pinscher breed named Tref acquired wide popularity, revealing more than 1,500 crimes in its life!

The history of canine units in the structure of law enforcement agencies, as is commonly believed, began on June 21, 1909, when the first Russian nursery of police detective dogs was opened in St. Petersburg, on the basis of which the trainers school was established. Subsequently, this date and became the basis for the establishment of today's holiday.

Since 1912, police detective dogs began to be used in the investigation of crimes in more than 50 provinces of Russia. At the same time, the first kennel of field dogs also opened. It was created on the basis of the Izmailovsky Guards regiment, where they were prepared and used, mainly for communications and reconnaissance. In the 1920s, nursery schools were established in the USSR to train canine specialists and dogs for various departments and structures — the criminal investigation department, the border troops, the people's commissariat of communications, militarized guards, etc.

The years of work were not in vain - purposeful, well-organized work on the development of service dog breeding in the USSR allowed the Soviet dog trainers to actively engage in military operations in the first days of the Great Patriotic War . Sometimes dogs were simply irreplaceable on the battlefield - they searched for mines and the enemy, provided stable communication and protection of troops, went on reconnaissance, blew up fascist tanks, discovered and removed the wounded, pursued spies and saboteurs, transported cargo, etc.

And today, service dogs continue to occupy a worthy place in the service and combat activities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Currently, with the help of service-searching dogs, about 20,000 crimes are annually solved! For loyalty to duty, many dogs have rewards. And not only! For example, a monument to a service dog was erected in Novosibirsk, which, being injured, showed itself excellently in a counter-terrorist operation. In Volgograd, a monument to demolition dogs has been erected, and in Moscow on Poklonnaya Hill, a monument to the “Front Dog” has been erected. There are many monuments to our smaller friends in other Russian cities.

Dogs in patrol and search work are indispensable and serious helpers. They are needed to search for and identify those who have committed crimes, to search for drugs, weapons, and to apprehend armed bandits. Dog units carry out a search of the area, buildings, structures. They also ensure reliable protection of important state and military facilities, protection of public order in populated areas and the performance of other service and combat tasks. For their performance, dogs undergo various trainings, and in the arsenal of trainer-trainers there is a mass of training techniques for this.

I sincerely congratulate the dog handlers of Russia on their professional holiday! I think the users of our social network will join the congratulations. I wish the people of the noble profession to tirelessly improve their skills, deepen knowledge and professionalism. I wish cynologists further success in the difficult fight against crime. And the most important thing is that a faithful and competent friend always work close by - a dog! Happy holiday! Happy dog handlers!

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