The Philippine Coast Guard
presents the first pork-sniffing dog in the country. The 18-year-old Golden Retriever is also the newest member of the ASF Task Force.
An 18-year-old Golden Retriever named Porky Pochie is the newest member of the team tasked to keep Cebu free from the African swine fever now affecting the hog industry in Luzon.
Philippine Coast Guard in Central Visayas spokesperson Lieutenant Junior Grade Michael John Encina said “Porky Pochie” will help secure Cebu's borders against the entry of live pigs and pork products from ASF-affected areas.
Encina said Porky Pochie, a former drug-sniffing dog, has already completed a two-month training to specifically identify pork and pork products. It is the first in the country to be trained as a pork-sniffing dog.
The training enabled Porky Pochie to identify pork products in a cargo or baggage, whether frozen, processed, canned or raw.
"Having this asset, as part of the detection capability of the Task Force, will provide a much astringent monitoring to all ports in Cebu," Encina said.
To recall, Cebu province imposed a total ban on hogs, pork and pork products coming from Luzon starting September 18, 2019 until the next 100 days.
Encina explained that the task force created by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia lacks the detection capability prompting the PCG to find ways to solve it.
"Si Pochie po kasi siya po yung aso natin that needs retraining pa ulit coz previously po isa po siya sa mga aso na natin na trained for a specific purpose but continuous po kasi yung training ng mga aso natin ditto, so part ng retraining niya kinonvert nalang po natin siya into the existing need ng ating probinsiya and that is Pork Detecting Dog to avert entry of ASF here in the province of Cebu and also to follow the national guidelines ng government natin para mapigilan talaga itong ASF,” Encina explained.
Encina said there will be 30 more dogs to be trained in the PCG national headquarters starting today to detect pork. Porksniffing dogs will also be deployed in other parts of the country to prevent the spread of ASF virus.
Golden Retriever is among the most popular dog breeds in America. They are serious workers at hunting and field work, as guides for the blind, and in search-and-rescue, enjoy obedience and other competitive events, and have an endearing love of life when not at work.