$18K paid for 6 puppies

Through a public tender, the Government bought the dogs and is training them for an eventual emergency in search and rescue of people.

The preparations for the World Youth Day (WYD) include the purchase and training of puppies for the search and rescue of people.

The Ministry of Government awarded the Dog School k9 Security the tender for the purchase of six puppies for a value of $ 17,976.

The tender specified that the puppies should have references of their parents  (pedigree).

Abelardo Serrano , director of the canine search unit of the National System of Civil Protection (Sinaproc) , said that canines are currently being trained to strengthen their capacity to respond to emergencies that may occur during WYD, specifically in people search.

The puppies purchased belong to the Belgian Shepherd Malinois breed.

According to the official, these have advantages over other breeds of dogs, since they have much more energy and also have a superior displacement. They are high pedigree dogs, he said.

In addition, the parents of the puppies have been winners of international awards in Belgium and Spain, thus fulfilling one of the requirements established in the tender.

Currently, the animals are receiving training at the Sinaproc facilities, in Howard, by an expert from Spain.

In addition to these puppies, the Sinaproc trains another group in the province of Los Santos, also in order to strengthen emergencies in search and rescue of people for WYD events.