National Canine Bravery Awards To Celebrate Courageous Dogs At HyCan 2025

HYDERABAD: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, HyCan 2025 - Hyderabad’s popular pet show, will host the National Canine Bravery Awards, also known as “K9 Heroes" which is jointly organised by the RRU Commando K9 Academy and the Hyderabad Canine Club.

The event is being organised to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s Iron Man and the architect of national unity and celebrate the bravery of dogs that have displayed extraordinary courage - whether in uniform or civilian life.

Nominations have been received from SSB, CISF, BSF, NSG, Telangana State Police, and other law-enforcement agencies across India. Entries from Central and State Police K9 units are being reviewed, and selected stories of canine heroism will be featured in HyMag, the official publication of HyCan 2025.

The term K9 refers to trained working dogs that serve as part of dog squads in the police or armed forces. These elite dogs are trained to: Detect explosives, narcotics, or weapons, track criminals or missing persons, guard sensitive installations, assist in disaster rescue operations and boost team morale, and provide psychological comfort to units.

In India, many police and paramilitary forces have dedicated K9 divisions —CISF K9 Unit guards airports & critical installations. NSG K9 Squad supports elite counter-terrorism operations. CRPF, BSF and SSB K9 Units serve in border and anti-insurgency zones. RRU Commando K9 Academy trains K9 handlers and service dogs professionally.

According to official and industry sources, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) collectively maintain nearly 4,000 Police Service K9s (PSKs) across India. Of these 1,500 dogs are with CRPF, 700 with CISF, and 100 with NSG. The Telangana State Police canine squad alone has around 150 dogs of various breeds. Across all state police forces, an earlier report cited 2,365 dogs (1,516 sniffers + 849 trackers), reflecting the growing scale and importance of K9 deployment nationwide.

During the event, 2–3 exemplary K9s will be conferred with the National Canine Bravery Award in the presence of senior police officials, CAPF representatives, and dignitaries -celebrating their unwavering loyalty, courage, and service to the nation.

National Canine Bravery Awards To Celebrate Courageous Dogs At HyCan 2025

Nominations received from SSB, CISF, BSF, NSG, Telangana State Police and other law-enforcement agencies

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