They’re not the breeds we tend to associate with India, but when the Indian army lead its army dogs down the Rajpath (a ceremonial boulevard in New Delhi) on the recent 67th Republic Day parade, they had German Shepherd Dogs and Labrador Retrievers at their sides.   The Army, which has about 1,200 dogs, selected 36 dogs to march with their handlers, both of which trained for months in preparation for the parade that came after a gap of 26 years.

After it was revealed in an RTI report last year that the army’s dogs, horses and mules are put to sleep after their retirement, the Army came under severe criticism from Indian citizens and dog lovers across the world. In September, 2015, the government informed the Delhi High Court that it would come out with a policy on the issue within six months. As far as we can tell, a final policy is yet to be adopted, but the Army has stopped further euthanasia of aging animals, except for those suffering incurable, terminal diseases and injuries.