From pups to protectors: Inside Kenya's elite K9 unit

On a breezy Tuesday morning at the Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi, I met some of the country’s most disciplined four-legged officers — dogs trained to detect explosives and narcotics, track suspects, patrol high-risk sites and help tackle wildlife crime.

When the gates flew open, GardaWorld Security’s Head of Canine Operations in Africa, George Karavis, and Kenya Country Director Rishi Ahluwalia, walked me through the unit’s vast scope with over 700 dogs across the continent.

The private security company, rooted in Canada but with a strong African department, operates a small-scale, ethical breeding program, sourcing most of its dogs locally. Its canines are the kind trained not just to play fetch, but to detect explosives, track criminals, and patrol high-risk sites.

Some of its breeds include Sorra and Shon (German shepherds), Hera and Keen (Belgian Malinois), Silk, Ranger and Bruno (Rottweilers), Gerry (English springer spaniel) and Maya (a spirited Jack Russell).

The Belgian Shepherd Malinois and Springer spaniels are primarily used for core detection and patrol roles, while German shepherds, Rottweilers and smaller breeds are deployed for specific tasks and demonstrations.

“We have detection dogs for narcotics and explosives. We also have dogs for civil aviation, called AFSEC, for aviation security. Another thing we do is stowaway dogs and, of course, we have the illegal wildlife detection dogs," Karavis said.

Interestingly, despite their perceived feral and ferocious capabilities, Karavis intimates that the dogs are not weapons trained to bite people, but rather to defend the handler.

“They are trained to defend the handler and not just sent to bite indiscriminately. According to our use-of-force model, the use of force has to be equal to the defence. We do not allow dogs to leave and bite people,” he said.