He Córdoba Penitentiary Service officially fired Incaa German Shepherd dog who retires from her duties after 8 years of work, to go live with her handler, Primera’s assistant, Rubén Fernández.
For each employee, the retirement of these dogs generates a lot of emotion, due to the years and experiences shared with these “agents”.
The dog, who was part of the dog section of the Special Anti-Narcotics and Seizure Group (GEAR) of the Córdoba Penitentiary Servicewas in charge of searching and detecting prohibited substances and unauthorized electronic elements, to prevent them from entering the different detention centers in the province, the Government reported in a statement.
The retirement took place within the framework of the Penitentiary Agent’s Day and also the inauguration ceremony of the new head of the Penitentiary Service, Carolina Verónica Funes.
Video: Inca’s farewell
In addition to Inca, Two canine agents of the same breed retired and will also live with their respective companions.
In detail, this is Milo, a male who provided his detection services for 7 years along with his guide, the First Assistant, Pablo Ismael Córdoba.
At the same time, Yusco, another male who served as conflict intervention security for 8 years, retired. His partner is the Second Class Assistant, Cristian Barrionuevo.
Inca’s career in the SPC
Inca is 10 years old and has been working in the GEAR’s Prohibited Substances and Unauthorized Electronic Elements Detection Team for 8 years.
The dog was selected as a puppy, precisely when she was 45 days old, to be trained by Rubén, who was her companion throughout her life.
The GEAR has a special endowment that currently has 29 dogs that are born, raised and trained in the same space. The training of canine agents is carried out based on the Sarmiento Animal Protection Law.
Regarding the training, Rubén specified: “It adapts to the behavior and behaviors that each of the dogs have. Not all dogs are born for the same task and we take advantage of their particularities.”
Since she was little, Inca stood out mainly in search and detection tasks. Therefore, the trainers and her guide dedicated themselves, in the years of training the dog, to enhancing these skills.
At the same time, the bond between the companions and their dogs is essential for their effective and successful training: “The relationship is generated from the first steps that the dogs take and over time it becomes increasingly stronger,” Fernández highlighted.
Following this, his guide shared: “The trust I have with Inca is so deep that it is even difficult for me to put it into words, I consider it to be incomparable with any other bond.”
At the age of 2, Inca began his duties at GEAR, where he participated in countless operations and entire nights of work with his guide to guarantee the safety objectives of his team.
In that sense, Rubén recalled a particular operation in which, together with Inca, they traveled to the interior of the province of Córdoba.
There, the dog got lost among a large crowd of people. After a brief moment of uncertainty, Inca returned on her own to the hands of her partner Rubén, without losing her calm and demonstrating the rigor of the training of the dog division of the Penitentiary Service.
The Inca retreat
The usual thing for a canine agent is to retire between 7 and 10 years, at which time the dog reaches its first stages of old age. Once they reach this age, the animals are transferred to the homes of their companions who guided them from their first days of life.
In this sense, Rubén expressed: “Retirement implies a very big change for Inca’s life. From carrying out numerous missions, she will move to live at home with me, where she can finally be calm and relax.”
However, the retirement of the 10-year-old dog challenges her companion: “Stopping working with Inca is like they were taking away a part of me. But I understand that the rest he so deserves has finally arrived. Maybe I spend less time with her now, but love and affection will never be lacking in my house.”
