NSman reunites with police dog under new programme
For three months, all Thaksin Toh could do was look at old photos of Moss, a canine with whom he had formed a special bond during his National Service. Toh, 21, served as Moss’ handler at the Singapore Police Force (SPF) K-9 unit, but was separated from the cocker spaniel once he attained his Operationally Ready Date status in March this year.
“We did training for six weeks together in K-9 HQ in August 2015. That was when I fell in love with him,” recalled Toh with a smile. ” I would contact the juniors back at HQ (after my ORD) and ask how he is. I had been asking to adopt him, because I really wanted to re-home him and give him the life he deserves after serving the nation.”
Today, Moss and his old handler have been reunited, thanks to the expansion of a pilot programme that will allow dog handlers from SPF and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) K-9 units to re-home retired sniffer dogs in HDB flats. Project ADORE, a project spearheaded by several agencies and animal welfare groups, enables selected individuals who live in HDB flats to adopt larger dogs that are not HDB-approved.
Since the expansion of the programme on 1 June, about 15 handlers have expressed interest in adopting their dogs. Toh, who was born in Thailand but is now a Singaporean, is the first to successfully do so.
Asked what it was like to be reunited with the seven-year-old dog, Toh could only say with a big smile, “I’m just very happy.”
A boy and his dog
Speaking to reporters at the void deck of his block of flats in Geylang Bahru, Toh said that he had served for a year with Moss, a narcotic detector dog. “The first time I met him, he rushed out of the kennel and pounced on me,” recalled Toh, as Moss sat at his feet, happily wagging its tail.
Subsequently, the duo spent at least 10 hours a day together and regularly going to Changi Prison for routine checks for narcotics on inmates. Ironically, Toh had harboured a fear of dogs after being bitten by a canine at the age of 14 – and it was Moss who helped him overcome the fear. Toh would even spend extra bonding time with Moss after work.
Moss has been home with the Toh family for a week now and is proving to be somewhat high maintenance. “He’s a very high energy dog. I bring him out for walks twice a day to exercise him and kill his high energy,” said Toh, who is currently helping out at his family’s food business. “The first time I brought him home, he thought he was at work. He kept sniffing around.”
Asked what the most challenging part of adopting Moss has been, Toh replied with a smile, “You just have to treat him like a king. He’s quite demanding and very playful.”
