Picked up near Karunanidhi's home, appreciated by Jaya, fire dog from country’s first batch dies
Xena was among the dogs that found survivors under the debris in the 2014 Moulivakkam building collapse and received special mention from the then CM Jayalalithaa
Xena, the Dalmatian fire dog
CHENNAI: When the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) decided to set up a sniffer dog squad for search and rescue in 2009, a first in the country for a fire department, she was among the chosen ones.
On Thursday, after a decade of active service and five years of retirement life, Xena, a Dalmatian, died due to age-related illness. She was laid to rest with full honours at the State Training Centre (STC), Tambaram.
Xena was among the dogs that found survivors in the debris in the 2014 Moulivakkam building collapse and received a special mention from the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
"Based on recommendations of retired Justice Bakthavatsalam commission after the 2004 Kumbakonam fire accident, the government was looking to expand the ambit of fire services as rescue services, too. Among the various initiatives was starting a dog squad in Fire and Rescue Services," said retired DGP R Nataraj, who headed TNFRS in 2009.
Among the first batch of six pups the fire brigade inducted was Xena, a Dalmatian, a dog breed considered the mascot of firefighters across the world.
"She was purchased from a house situated a couple of streets away from the residence of late leader M Karunanidhi when she was a four-month-old pup. After serving the department for 10 years, she retired in 2019 and was housed in the kennel at STC, Tambaram, along with her juniors. Xena was the last surviving dog from the first batch," said M Subbiah, retired special station officer, who was in charge of the fire brigade's dog squad for over a decade.
According to S Ram Kumar, a fireman who is now taking care of the dog squad, Xena was not keeping well for the last six months.
These dogs are trained to find victims buried under building collapse debris, sand (in case of a tsunami), and landslides, and also undergo regular beach training.
"We are prepared to offer help for any contingencies anywhere across the country," Ram Kumar added.
Fire personnel said TNFRS Joint Director Meenakshi Vijayakumar took special interest in the training of dog squad and ensured that they are provided with the best training.
The present batch of six dogs underwent training at the Border Security Force's National Training Centre for Dogs in Madhya Pradesh.
