Rebecca’s War Dog of the Week: 20 years later, the world has not forgotten India’s bomb-sniffing dog, Zanjeer

By Rebecca Frankel

Best Defense Chief Canine Correspondent

When a series of 12 bombings rocked Mumbai in March 1993 -- blasts
that killed over 250 people and left more than 700 others injured -- one member
of India's Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) was heralded as savior, a golden
lab called Zanjeer. And now, two decades later, Zanjeer's photo and his story
are making the Internet rounds once again, this time in memorandum.

Zanjeer's first find during those fateful days came on March
15, when he gave his signature three-bark alert on a bomb-laden scooter parked
on Dhanji Street, a mere "stone's throw away" from BDDS
headquarters. In the days that followed he reportedly saved thousands more
lives by finding explosives in "unclaimed suitcases" discovered at the Siddhivinayak
temple and then again a few days later at the Zaveri Bazaar.
All in all, Zanjeer helped members of the BDDS find, as reported by Reuters, "more
than 3,329 kgs of the explosive RDX, 600 detonators, 249 hand grenades and 6406
rounds of live ammunition."

Zanjeer, named after a 1973 Hindi action film about a lone honest cop
who perseveres in a world overrun by corruption, was trained in Pune and joined
the officers of India's BDDS in 1992 at just one years old. The much beloved
and lauded dog went on to have an illustrious and astoundingly productive
eight-year career, during which he was credited with uncovering: "11 military
bombs, 57 country-made bombs, 175 petrol bombs, and 600 detonators." These
finds coming after the March bombings
in 1993.

When Zanjeer died
of bone cancer (other reports
say lung failure) in November of 2000, his fellow officers gave him full honors
during a ceremony and memorial service -- as seen in this
photo as a senior official places flowers over Zanjeer's body. And while
the world is remembering this dog 20 years later, citizens of Mumbai are said
to have commemorated the anniversary of Zanjeer's death yearly.

According to Zanjeer's obituary,
"The cops grew so dependent on Zanjeer that there were occasions when they
would bring only Zanjeer and no equipment." The chief of BDDS
during Zanjeer's tenure, Nandkumar Choughule, said
that the dog was "god sent" and that when men were not able to track down the
explosives, it was Zanjeer who found them.