Philippine Coast Guard’s K9s tapped to sniff ASF-infected pork

GOLDEN HELP Poochie is trained to detect packages that contain pork. —DALE G. ISRAEL

CEBU CITY—He’s not just an ordinary drug-sniffing dog.

Aside from detecting illegal drugs, Poochie, a Golden Retriever, has been trained by the Philippine Coast Guard in Central Visayas (PCG-7) to help prevent the entry of banned pork and pork products from Luzon into Cebu ports.

Poochie can sniff packages containing pork and pork products even if it is wrapped in several layers of carton or bags, said PCG-7 spokesperson, Michael John Encina.

It is the first-ever K9 unit from the PCG that is trained for the detection of pork meat products.

“We would like to fulfill the gap in detection capability. So we thought of training K9 units for pork sniffing,” Encina said. “The trained dog is the first in the country … We will soon convene 30 dogs in the national headquarters specifically for pork detection.”

The 18-month-old dog was trained in August after Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia issued a series of executive orders that regulated the entry of pork.

The latest order called for a total ban on hogs and pork products from Luzon.

Garcia’s decision came after the Department of Agriculture confirmed an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in seven areas in Bulacan and Rizal provinces.

ASF is a viral disease that infects pigs and wild boars. It is transmitted through feeding of infected pork or carcasses, contamination of equipment and when blood is shed.

During the program launching of the PCG, Poochie and its handler Seaman 2nd Class Kristofferson Bitoy showed off their skills. Several boxes were lined up on the ground for the dog to sniff. Once the dog sniffed pork inside the carton, he looked at his handler and “stayed” on the package.

Bitoy said the dog was easily trained because it was first deployed as an antinarcotics K9 unit until his specialization was changed in answer to the call of the Cebu provincial government for stricter measures against ASF.

In Bulacan, 1,700 hogs from backyard farms in the towns of Pandi and Pulilan had been culled since Tuesday after these were suspected of being infected with the ASF virus.

Pulilan Mayor Maria Rosario Ochoa said they were looking for new gravesites for the 1,500 culled pigs from the villages of Inaon, Tabon, Tinejero, Paltao, Cutcot, Balatong A, Balatong B, Longos and Dulong Malabon.

Pandi Mayor Enrico Roque said 191 hogs were culled at the Corpus Farm in Barangay Baka-bakahan in the town.

In Zamboanga del Sur, the provincial board passed an ordinance restricting the entry of pigs and fresh and processed pork products in the province in the wake of the ASF scare.

Board Member Rogelio Saniel, chair of the agriculture and fishery committee, said the ordinance also banned pigs, pork products and by-products, including canned goods coming in through airports and seaports from countries affected by ASF. —WITH REPORTS FROM CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE AND LEAH AGONOY/ac