The three musketeers at WTC

They have become a familiar sight at the World Trade Centre (WTC) now. If you visit this high-rise in Colombo, you would be greeted by the charming and friendly pooches there.

Meet the three musketeers - Lassie, Blackie and Rover. One needn’t be afraid to walk into one of the most vulnerable buildings in the Colombo Fort area as these doggies will be ready to pounce on any would-be terrorists.

They are the first-ever privately-trained dogs that are experts at detecting explosives. The trainers of the WTC dogs are Priyantha and Attanayake who have a handful every day with these dogs, but they say its fun working with them because they are trained to detect the slightest trace of explosives or potential bombs.

“Everyday is like a mission to protect and serve the people of the World Trade Centre”, said Priyantha.

Both Lassie and Rover are creamy white Labradors, while Blackie is a black Belgian Shepherd. They are given stations at stipulated points to guard the WTC.

“Rover is the latest addition to the family and we need to get more young dogs to be trained because the older one, six-year-old Blackie now needs a rest”, said Priyantha.Lassie, the two-year-old friendly dog greets us with a “Woof! Woof!” when we pet and stroke her silky fur. “Lassie is the more friendly one, but when it comes to checking for explosives, she knows her job”, said Attanayake.

The dogs are trained to detect the slightest trace of explosives or potential bombs.

Even though there have been no reports of threats to the WTC, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Indradeva Mendis, Manager - Facilities Management for Overseas Realty (Ceylon) Limited, which manages the WTC, said, “We should always be ready; since even the WTC in USA was targeted”.

They are committed to giving the WTC employees and those who frequent the premises a guaranteed assurance of safety.

He said, “We can’t always use Army or Air Force dogs for protecting the WTC, so we decided to get dogs trained in-house”.Aruni, the Marketing Manager said that the dogs are treated like their own pets and grooming and feeding them aren’t taken lightly. “The dogs even have a special diet and we have to make sure that prompt treatment is given to them if they are sick,” she said.

One of the main areas these dogs are trained in is to subtly let their trainers know of any danger without causing a commotion. “Having been trained by us from the time they were puppies, our trio knows when to warn us. We can read their body language when something out of the ordinary happens”, said Priyantha.

Rover is the pooch who can’t wait for a second without moving and playing around. The reason is that he is the youngest of the lot. “As Rover is the only male and just eight months old, he always acts naughty, so we are still training him”, said Attanayake.

Blackie is the shy type, but is also known to all as the lazy one because she has been trained to do her job without interacting with people.

When asked whether a special licence was required to have these dogs, Indradeva explained, “We have a permit, but no special licence is really required”. These dogs have been bought at a good price when they were just born and are treated like royalty.

The WTC dogs are a good example for other public and private institutions to follow, especially with the threat of bombs that is prevalent everywhere.

Not only do the dynamic dogs try to save your lives, but they are also a good stress-reliever since working at the WTC could be hectic. They light up your busy day, putting a smile on your face and you can be assured that you can work in peace with their presence around you.People at the WTC can now be guaranteed of more safety with the Terrific Trio - Rover, Lassie and Blackie!

- Nilma Dole

Pix: Chinthaka Kumarasinghe