Amid the chaos of counter-terror operations, where gunfire echoes through forests and mountain villages, some of the first to advance toward danger are not always human soldiers. Alongside Indian Army and paramilitary personnel, military dogs have repeatedly taken the lead in high-risk missions, often absorbing the greatest risks while protecting the lives of the troops they serve beside. Their contributions rarely dominate headlines, yet their stories form a quiet history of courage written across decades of conflict and security operations in India.
One such memory lives with Army dog handler A.S. Shekhawat, who recalled a fierce encounter in which his canine companion charged fearlessly through heavy firing, moving unpredictably between bullets to distract terrorists and prevent them from advancing toward soldiers. Even when fired upon, the dog never retreated, remaining ahead of the troops it protected. Today, although Shekhawat works with another trained canine, the leash of his first partner still hangs in his room, a reminder of a bond forged in combat and loss.
Recent operations continue to underline the role of these four-legged soldiers. During Operation Trashi-I in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, an assault dog named Tyson, a German Shepherd attached to the 2 Para Special Forces, led troops toward a terrorist hideout. As he crawled forward to scout the structure, militants opened fire and struck him, yet his advance exposed enemy positions, enabling forces to neutralise the terrorists after a long pursuit. For the troops, Tyson’s actions were not symbolic gestures of bravery but decisive moments that shaped the outcome of the mission.
Across India’s conflict zones, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, military dogs routinely perform tasks technology still struggles to match. They detect explosives hidden deep underground, track infiltrators across rugged terrain, and enter confined spaces before soldiers do. Many are trained at specialised facilities run by the Army’s Remount Veterinary Corps in Meerut and the Central Reserve Police Force’s Dog Breeding and Training School in Taralu, Karnataka. From just weeks old, they undergo intensive conditioning while forming deep bonds with handlers, sharing daily life in forward bases and operating as inseparable partners in the field.
Yet their deployment also raises ethical questions. Unlike human soldiers, these animals do not choose war, and critics argue that turning them into instruments of combat imposes risks they cannot comprehend. Militaries continue to rely on them because their senses, instinct and loyalty remain unmatched by machines. Their motivation is not ideology or duty, but attachment to the handler beside them, a connection that drives them forward even under gunfire.
The cost of that loyalty is often ultimate sacrifice. Zoom, a Belgian Malinois deployed during Operation Tangpawa in Anantnag in 2022, charged into a terrorist hideout and sustained multiple gunshot wounds while pinning down militants, allowing soldiers to eliminate the threat. Despite intensive medical care, he later died of his injuries and was posthumously honoured for gallantry. Phantom, another Malinois serving with the White Knight Corps, drew enemy fire during an ambush in 2024, buying critical time for troops during an eight-hour operation before succumbing to fatal wounds. Axel, killed in Baramulla in 2022 while leading a search patrol, had already alerted soldiers to hidden terrorists, preventing casualties among the unit.
Stories like these extend beyond individual missions. Kent, a Labrador Retriever, died shielding her handler during a firefight in Rajouri, while Mansi, another tracker dog, lost her life alongside her handler after detecting infiltrators in Kupwara’s mountainous terrain. Each name joins a long, often overlooked roll of canine soldiers whose service ends not in retirement ceremonies but in military burials and quiet remembrance.
These dogs neither seek recognition nor understand the conflicts they are sent into. Their actions are shaped by training, instinct and an unwavering attachment to their handlers. When operations conclude and troops return, what often remains is an empty leash and memories shared between soldiers and companions who faced danger together. Their legacy lies not in medals or speeches, but in the lives they saved and the battles fought silently on behalf of those they guarded.
