Foreign training of Kazakh dog handlers costs $300 thousand

Almost $300 thousand were spent by the U.S. Department of State in four years for foreign training of dog handlers of Kazakhstan law-enforcement authorities under a project to enhance drug control and border security, KazTAG reports. “Our project on cynology and drug control has been implemented since 2008. Around $300 thousand were allocated for its implementation in four years. All these funds covered training of dog handlers' trainers from Kazakhstan in Austria,” senior program manager of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan Raushan Kassymbekova said. She added that these funds were also used to organize regional training events in Kazakhstan. Representative of the Embassy noted that last year the U.S. allocated around $50 thousand for the dog handling program. Kassymbekova stressed that the training financed by the U.S. Department of State also includes purchase of dogs for trainers. “We have the funds for purchase of dogs. But we are not buying dogs from any specific countries to import them to Kazakhstan. The dogs are bought only as a material for trainings held in Austria,” she explained. According to the speaker, Kazakhstan trainers taught abroad for 2.5 months may select the dogs that are transferred free of charge to the authorities that send their representatives for a training. At the same time the representative of the U.S. Embassy stressed that one dog cost the Department of State from 800 to 2.5 thousand Euro, depending on its age and qualities. “Normally, one training per year is organized. We are sending 3-5 trainers. Thus, there are 3-5 dogs,” Kassymbekova said. She also noted that Austrian dogs sire upon arrival in Kazakhstan. “We already have two generations of offsprings. All these dogs, according to Kazakhstan law-enforcement authorities, are born with good qualities.”