Indian Air Force (IAF) has for the first time inducted the Mudhol Hound, a purebred Indian breed of sight hound from Karnataka, to chase away birds and animals which stray on runways, hampering flights and causing risk of bird-hits.
Deputy chief minister of Karnataka Govind M Karajol handed over two male and two female Mudhol puppies to IAF on Friday via the Canine Research and Information Centre (CRIC) in Bagalkot district. It is a unit of the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar (KVAFSU) from where the puppies were flown to the Agra airbase on Sunday. These agile all-weather dogs that enjoy good health and recruited by the Indian Army, CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB, ITBP and the police departments of a few states. Experts say that the breed is best known for its stamina, sharpness and agility. Mudhol Hounds are also known to be fiercely loyal to their owners and are excellent hunting dogs.
These agile all-weather dogs that enjoy good health and require minimum grooming. The Mudhol hounds were bred by Ghorpade kings of Mudhol (now in Bagalkot in North Karnataka) in the 1920s, by crossing Persian and Turkish breeds with local dogs.
