Working dogs

Sniffer police dogs trained at a facility near the Special Police Forces center in Ankara, which was heavily bombed during the failed coup attempt on July 15, have begun a rehabilitation program due to disorders triggered by the trauma. 

Şenol Özbakan, a former deck-man who adopts abandoned golden retriever dogs in the western province of Muğla's Bodrum district, has thousands of followers on his social media accounts thanks to his "Golden Gang." 

The 56-year-old Özbakan, who lives with his 13 dogs in his old minibus parked in Bodrum's industrial site, draws attention for his life. 

Turkey's first cynology conference has revealed that the use of K-9 unit police dogs has surged in the country due the recent increase in security operations and terror threats.

Osman Öztürk, head of CSG-City Security Group, a private security company, said at the Istanbul event on Dec. 23 the need for specially-trained dogs was "increasing day-by-day."

A sniffer dog serving with Bulgaria's Customs Agency has discovered over 20.4 kilogrammes of heroin in a car crossing from Turkey at Lesovo checkpoint, the agency announced on Tuesday.

"Inspector" Chara, a golden retriever trained to discover narcotic substances, found the heroin hidden in a secret compartment beneath the driver's seat of a Bulgaria-registered car.

Romania has for the first time two dog breeds internationally recognized: the Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog and the Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog.

The popularity of the Turkish native shepherd dog breed called ?Akba?? has increased, said president of the Akba? Shepherd Dog Conservation and Research Association (AKAD) Erhan Ulutürk, adding that the waiting list for buying an Akba? was at least five months. 

More than 200 sheepdogs from the Romanian Shepherd breeds Raven, Mioritic, Carpathian and Bucovina will participate on Sunday in Predeal in the second edition of the National Championship for Romanian Shepherds and in the sixth edition of the show dedicated to these vigorous herd guarding dogs.

Photo credit: (c) Constantin DUMA / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

A specially trained rescue team, including sniffer dogs, was looking for a missing hunter near Thessaloniki on Tuesday.

The 63-year-old man went hunting in the area of Vertsikou on Monday morning.

He failed to return home that evening and his daughter notified authorities.