National Canine Bravery Awards To Celebrate Courageous Dogs At HyCan 2025
Hyderabad: The first of its kind, Hyderabad’s popular pet show HyCan 2025 will host the National Canine Bravery Awards, also known as ‘K9 Heroes’, jointly organized by RRU Commando K9 Academy and Hyderabad Kennel Club.
The event is organized to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India and the architect of national unity, and to celebrate the bravery of dogs who have demonstrated extraordinary bravery, whether in uniform or in civilian life.
Nominations were received from SSB, CISF, BSF, NSG, Telangana State Police and other law enforcement agencies across India. Entries from Central and State Police K9 units are being reviewed and selected stories of canine heroics will be featured in HyMag, the official publication of HyCan 2025.
The term K9 refers to trained working dogs that serve as part of canine teams in the police or armed forces. These elite dogs are trained to: Detect explosives, narcotics or weapons, track criminals or missing persons, protect sensitive facilities, assist in disaster rescue operations, and boost team morale and provide psychological comfort to units.
Many police and paramilitary forces in India have dedicated K9 divisions—CISF K9 Unit protects airports and critical facilities. NSG K9 Team supports elite counter-terrorism operations. CRPF, BSF and SSB K9 Units serve in border and counter-insurgency areas. RRU Commando K9 Academy professionally trains K9 handlers and service dogs.
According to official and industry sources, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) collectively have around 4,000 Police Service K9s (PSKs) across India. Of these 1,500 dogs, 1,500 are with CRPF, 700 with CISF and 100 with NSG. Telangana State Police alone has around 150 dogs of various breeds in its dog squad. An earlier report mentioned 2,365 dogs (1,516 sniffers + 849 trackers) across all state police forces; this reflected the increasing scale and importance of K9 deployment across the country.
During the event, 2-3 exemplary K9s will be awarded the National Canine Valor Award in the presence of senior police officials, CAPF representatives and dignitaries celebrating their unwavering loyalty, bravery and service to the nation.
