Meet the Military Working Dog Unit, where dogs & humans work together to keep S'pore safe

By Kasia Lew

In 1992, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Provost Unit had its first batch of canine graduates.

22 dogs made history as Singapore’s very first generation of military working dogs.

Over 30 years later, the unit has become the Military Working Dog Unit (MWDU), which houses and trains the new generation of loyal companions.

The unit comprises different breeds. Larger breeds such as German Shepherds and Malinois are mainly protection dogs, while Labradors and Spaniels have excellent sniffing abilities and are trained to be operationally-ready sniffer dogs.

Here are five things you might not have known about the MDWU and its canine members.

The unit celebrates each dog’s birthday

The handlers at the MWDU celebrate about 100 birthdays every year.

As part of canine welfare, each and every dog gets its birthday celebrated with outings to nearby parks and special treats.

Recently, two of the dogs in the unit celebrated their special day with a Paw Patrol-themed birthday bash.

Dogs don't get high when they sniff drugs

Much like humans, different dogs in the MWDU work in different specialities.

The ones that sniff out drugs are known as narcotics detection dogs. They're especially intelligent with great sniffing capabilities.

As part of their rigorous training, they learn to conduct luggage searches, bag searches and vehicle searches. As a result, they can sniff out seven types of contraband drugs such as ecstasy, ketamine, and meth.

Here's Scooby, a three-year-old English Springer Spaniel. He recently passed out as an operationally-ready narcotics detection dog (under the watchful eye of his handler, Corporal Seth Isaac Soriano Real).

The dogs get regularly scheduled playtime

If you're a dog lover, you might wonder if the military dogs are overworked.

But the dogs at the unit are actually well taken care of by their loving handlers, with regularly scheduled playtime in their days. (More than I can say for most humans.)

Whilst not as pampered as house dogs, MDWU dogs have walks in parks and daily playtime with their trainers to build camaraderie and ensure they're not left alone in the kennels for too long.

This is in between their regular training, feeding, and grooming schedules.

Fun fact: Scooby has his own hair dryer! His long hair means it takes a while to get him groomed, but his dog handlers still do it for him with love.

The dogs’ retirement age is eight years old

To ensure the dogs’ well-being and physical health, the dogs at MWDU usually retire between the ages of eight and ten.

That's around 48 to 66 in human years, depending on the dog.

After retirement, the unit continues to provide for its four-legged veterans, including providing medical care.

SAF also conducts yearly adoptions in hopes of providing the doggos with their furever home.

If you're interested in adopting a retired military dog, good news: members of the public, including HDB dwellers, can apply to do so as long as their household fulfils specific criteria.

For updates on these adoption drives, check MINDEF’s website and Facebook page.

You don't need prior experience to join the unit

At this point you might be wondering if you can join the MWDU, and what it takes to qualify.

While it does help to have prior knowledge about canines and how to manage them, you don't need any prior experience.

During the training process, you will be taught from scratch how to interact and train with the dogs in the unit.

The application process is simple. Express your interest, and go through the interview process. You'll be given a rundown of the tasks you have to complete in the unit, and briefed on the various scenarios you may encounter during your term of service.

You do have to be a full-time NSF, though. (And have a love of dogs, obviously.)

This article was produced by Kasia Lew in collaboration with Mothership, as part of a Total Defence Ambassador Programme with ACCORD.

Top image by Mothership