Canine Heroes: Dogs Lead Nepal Flood Recovery

When the Bhotekoshi river burst its banks on August 26, the sudden deluge turned parts of Rasuwa, Timure, Ghattikhola and dozens of nearby villages into a nightmare of mud, timber and twisted metal. Human rescuers scrambled, but the sheer volume of debris made it hard to know where a missing person might be buried.

Enter the four‑leged professionals. Rocky, a Belgian Shepherd, and Jumbo, a German Shepherd, were the first to be dispatched from the Nepal Police Canine Office in Kathmandu. Their handlers arrived in the flood‑hit zones the very day the water receded, and within hours the pair’s keen noses had flagged two bodies and a body part, according to the online portal Onlinekhabar.

“The canines were fully equipped and deployed on the day the flood came. They have proved to be very effective,” said Nepal Police spokesperson Abinarayan Kafle, echoing the gratitude felt by many officials.

Later, two Labradors – Leo and Kalu – were sent to widen the search. They combed through places as varied as Bidur, Archale, Shantibazar, the Mailung Hydropower complex, Dhunge, Devighat, Betrawati, Bhainse and Battar. Their work helped locate remains at the employee quarters of Mailung Hydropower‑3B and at Battar Solar House.

The effort didn’t stop there. A German Shepherd named Deepsi, brought from Chitwan, pinpointed two more bodies at Damouli Golaghat. All told, five police dogs and ten handlers have been active in the field.

The Armed Police Force (APF) added its own canine contingent – seven dogs and fourteen handlers – covering hotspots like Timure, Devighat, Trishuli Bazaar, Dhading and Chitwan. APF spokesperson Netra Bahadur Karki reported that these dogs helped uncover 19 buried bodies, bringing the combined total for both forces to 26 bodies and body parts recovered.

Even beyond Nepal’s borders, help arrived on four paws. A South Korean rescue team landed with five more dogs, ready to assist the ongoing search.

These canine units are not new to Nepal. The police first introduced sniffer dogs in 1970 after importing two from Malaysia, while the APF set up its own unit in 2006. The army, too, has kept a dedicated dog establishment since 1999, though its pups have stayed on standby for this particular emergency.

Despite their impressive abilities to squeeze into narrow gaps and detect the faintest human scent, the dogs cannot work nonstop. After a set period they are given rest, water and a chance to recover before heading back into the rubble. Handlers monitor their fatigue closely – a partnership built on trust and mutual care.

Every bark, every pause, every wag of the tail may mean the difference between a lost loved one and a family finally receiving closure. In the wreckage left by the floods, these dogs keep moving, sniffing, and signalling – a reminder that even in the darkest moments, hope can come on four legs.