Tailed Recruits: Primorsky GUFSIN Kennel Sends Puppies to Transbaikal
In the breeding kennel for service dogs at FKU IK-41 of GUFSIN (the Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service) in Russia«s Primorsky Krai, yesterday morning was particularly touching. Five grown German shepherd puppies — Zhigan, Zhandarm, Zheskar, Zhastina, and Zhadi — left their home enclosures and caring dog handlers to go into service in Transbaikal.
These four-month-old rascals are already familiar with the first «ABCs» of service work: they have undergone initial educational training, learned to listen to humans, and feel confident in new situations. Now they face a serious journey — quarantine, adaptation, and a major training course where each little one will find their purpose.
Four of the puppies will master the search and detection profile, while the gentle but incredibly search-enthusiastic Zhastina will become a specialist in detecting narcotics. It was her that the commission of dog handlers noted a pronounced interest in search work — the puppy literally «burns» with desire to find hidden items, playing and rejoicing in every small victory.
The puppies« mother is the six-year-old German shepherd Yugoria Ideya. She is a calm, intelligent, and very caring dog. She was born in the well-known RKF »Yugoria« kennel. Ideya has a breeding category and has been living on the territory of IK-41 GUFSIN in Primorye for several years now.
This is her second litter: in 2023, she gave birth to eight puppies, and five of them also went to serve in Transbaikal.
The father of the little ones is the stately and strong Yeger, a German shepherd from one of the dog handling units of GUFSIN. He passed on his character to the children — confident, attentive, but at the same time playful.
How Future Service Dogs Grow Up
In the GUFSIN kennel, a truly disciplined family atmosphere reigns. Five experienced dog handler-breeders work on breeding German shepherds. They carefully select breeding pairs, help the bitches raise the puppies, socialize the puppies, and prepare them for future service.
Each litter receives its own letter of the alphabet — so the names always start with a specific letter. This is how «service» nicknames are born — courageous, sonorous, ones that suit future protectors.
«We never choose names like Sharik or Bobik,» the breeders smile. «As you name the ship, so it will sail!», explained Elena Globa, head of the dog handling service of GUFSIN for Primorsky Krai.
After vaccination, each puppy receives an individual chip — like a real employee with a personal number. From two months old, the little ones undergo educational sessions, and closer to four months — special testing. The commission evaluates character, reactions, inclinations. Some have a stronger defensive reaction — they go into search and detection service. Others have a more ardent search instinct — they are trained for a special profile, like Zhastina.
The kennel at IK-41 is one of twenty in the country where future service dogs are raised for institutions of the penal system. Only this year, five puppies have already been sent from Primorye to strengthen units in Yakutia.
