The Civil Guard has launched an innovative program called Plan Fénix, which invites families to temporarily take in dog puppies from the Cynological Service during their first year of life.
The goal is to socialize future police dogs before their official training at the academy. The announcement, broadcast through the TikTok account of the Civil Guard Cynological Service (Secir), has captured the attention of the community, generating interest and participation.
“Would you be able to care for one of these puppies during their first year of life?” the police force announces on its social networks. The program involves the delivery of puppies, with an approximate age of 2 months. From the Civil Guard website they detail that “the main dog breeds are German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever.”
“The selection of the host families will consist of a personal interview carried out by the agents” of the Secir, they detail in the statement. During the reception, the Cynological Service will take care of the costs of feeding and veterinary care for the puppies. The dogs will return to the Corps at the end of the foster period for technical evaluation and training as police dogs.
Adoptive parents, in addition to ensuring the physical well-being of the puppies, must focus on their socialization, contributing to both the physical and emotional development of the animals.
The Fénix Plan is the evolution of the Puppy Breeding Project started by Secir in 2009 at its facilities in El Pardo. The initiative arises from the need to socialize puppies, a crucial task to have useful dogs at work and their subsequent training. Currently, socialization is carried out by specialist guides, but due to the volume of puppies in the unit, the Civil Guard seeks to involve civilian personnel in these processes.
The program, which has the support of qualified personnel and close monitoring through home visits, has aroused the interest and participation of the community. Applicants interested in fostering a puppy can contact the Cynological Service through the email account dg-cinologico-fenix@guardiacivil.org.
