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Bomb-sniffing dogs make aliya:[Daily Edition] 

by DANA COHEN. Jerusalem Post. Jerusalem: Mar 31, 2004. pg. 04   

Pups for Peace (PFP), a US-based organization that trains explosive-detecting dogs to save lives from terrorism, marked its second anniversary and celebrated the commencement of regular work with Israel on Monday evening.

The organization has trained dogs working with the Israel Police in a pilot program, and is now beginning full-time work with the Transportation Ministry.

PFP was founded by Glenn Yago, a Los Angeles economist, who initiated the pilot program in April 2002 in response to the Pessah massacre at the Park Hotel in Netanya in which 22 people were murdered. Next month the specially trained dogs and their handlers are to begin working in bus stations throughout the country.

"After two years of developing the concept, of raising funds for the task, and training dogs and handlers for the mission, I am proud to say that we are ready to apply our anti-terrorism technique on the streets of Israel, and begin saving the lives of innocent Israeli citizens, said Yago.

PFP began with the training of dogs in the US. In April 2003, a training facility in northern Israel began operation, and a handler training camp was established in the center of the country. In December 2003, the entire Pups for Peace operation moved to Israel under the direction of Roni Lotan and Menachem Feder.

The first civilian pilot project began at the Netanya bus station, in association with Egged and the Ministry of Transportation, and was declared a success. As a result, the ministry requested dogs and handlers for bus stations across Israel.

Pups for Peace plans to train roughly 300 dogs per year for three years. The funding required for this level of production has been budgeted at $2.7 million per year. This includes all cost of operations, capital expenditures, and, of course, dog acquisition.

"The process of purchasing and training the dogs to recognize explosives is an expensive and prolonged task," said Lotan, the Israel manager. The dogs are purchased in Europe and then transported to Israel, where they go through a four-month training course and are teamed up with a handler for active duty. The cost is approximately $10,000 for each counterterrorism dog.

"The costs are very high," acknowledged Yago, "however, the benefits, and the number of lives that can be saved from terrorist attacks, is what we are concentrating on. Dogs can smell and recognize what the human eye cannot even see, and their ability to recognize explosives is what can save lives."

Pups for Peace Israel founder, lawyer Menachem Feder, notes that, "The organization provides an innovative, preventative measure to address the problem of suicide bombings against the civilian population. This is a prime example of effective, nonviolent counter- terrorism. The dogs and their handlers do a great job of protecting innocent people."

The Transportation Ministry intends to introduce the explosive- detecting dogs to Jerusalem in the coming months and eventually have dogs at bus stations throughout the country.

"We have no idea where it may lead to from there," says Yago. "Perhaps private businesses will adopt the idea and we will have dogs standing at the entrance of every public place. We will do whatever we can to save lives."

For more information visit the Web site at www.pupsforpeace.org.      

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