Officials sniffing for a new family for old dog
SHANGHAI: Siyan has spent the past 11 years finding contraband among the mountains of mail passing through Shanghai’s ports. Now, as he enters retirement, his employers hope to find him a new home.
For the first time, the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau has sent out a public appeal to find a family willing to adopt the retired sniffer dog.
Siyan, a 13-year-old American cocker spaniel, has been stationed at each of the city’s ports during his career, checking the many parcels and packages that arrive by sea, land and air.
During the past six years, he has found nearly 3,000 animals, plants and other products in the mail that are prohibited from entering the city, according to the bureau. These have included live turtles from Japan, endangered succulent plants from the United States and ivory products. Last year, despite his advancing age, Siyan detected 871 forbidden items, accounting for one-fifth of all contraband detected at Shanghai ports.
Siyan was recognised as a “fivestar quarantine dog” in 2016, making him one of only two dogs to receive the designation from among the 20 animals used by authorities to sniff out contraband at Shanghai’s ports.
He officially retired on Tuesday at a ceremony at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, which is when the bureau launched its search for a new home.
“We hope to find a good family willing to adopt this smart and kind dog, to care for him in old age,” said Bai Zhanghong, director of animal and plant quarantine supervision for the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.
Adopting working dogs after their retirement is common practice in many Western countries, but it has yet to become the norm in China due to its relatively short history of using animals in the workplace. — China Daily/Asia News Network