CISF's Veteran Sniffer Dogs Employed At Chennai Airport Retire After Eight Years Of Service
After inspecting over 27,000 unattended items, thousands of vehicles and VIPs, three CISF sniffer dogs retired from Chennai Airport and were given a ceremonial farewell.
Published : March 3, 2026 at 1:27 PM IST
Chennai: Three sniffer dogs of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), who played a crucial role in securing Chennai International Airport for eight years, were formally retired from service on Monday.
The CISF, which is responsible for airport security, operates a dedicated Sniffer Dog Unit at Chennai Airport to detect explosives, narcotics and other security threats. Of the nine dogs currently deployed, three -Asha, Sweetie and Max - superannuated after completing distinguished service.
A farewell ceremony was held at the CISF office in Palavanthangal, Chennai. The retired canines were honoured with medals, garlands and service certificates. A ceremonial red carpet was rolled out, a cake was cut and flowers were showered on the dogs in recognition of their contribution.
CISF Deputy Inspector General Ponni and Chennai Airport Director Raja Kishore were present at the event.
According to CISF officials, the three dogs handled thousands of security checks during their tenure. While Asha (Golden Retriever) inspected 10,216 unattended items, screened 1,048 vehicles and checked 1,248 VIP movements, Sweetie (Labrador) examined 8,704 unattended items, 1,880 vehicles and 1,360 VIP movements. Max (Cocker Spaniel) inspected 8,568 items, 1,264 vehicles and 1,064 VIP movements. He also played a critical role in screening quarantined aircraft during bomb threat alerts.
Officials stated that the dogs were instrumental in rapid threat assessment, unattended baggage clearance and high-security protocol checks.
Following the retirement, three newly trained sniffer dogs were inducted into service. The dogs were trained for six months at the CISF Dog Training Centre in Ranchi.
The new inductees include Kandi, a female Labrador Retriever, Panther, a male sniffer dog, a male Cocker Spaniel.
During trial demonstrations, the dogs successfully detected narcotics canisters and explosive samples. CISF officials confirmed that the new unit is trained in explosive detection, drug detection, vehicle scanning, aircraft inspection and passenger baggage screening.
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