GHAZIABAD: It was an emotional Saturday afternoon at the National Disaster Response Force ( NDRF ) headquarters in Ghaziabad as the force handed over two of its retired dogs, who served in some of the force's most challenging rescue missions, to their new owners.When Tanu and Tina (both 10) barked adieus to their handlers as their new masters escorted them to the campus gates and into their waiting vehicles, there were several moist eyes.Memories of being together at places ravaged by natural calamities, the dogs' senses that served as radar for rescue teams looking to save lives — everyone spoke fondly of the two labradors of the NDRF canine unit.Tanu, for instance, was among the eight canines deployed in Nepal in April 2015 after the earthquake as part of NDRF rescue teams. She was trained at Mundli in Orissa by experts from the Swiss Centre for Development and Cooperation. She also took part in search operations in the 2016 Kanpur rail accident, 2014 Orissa cyclone, 2013 Kedarnath cloudburst, and after a building collapsed in Laxmi Nagar in Delhi early this year, months before her retirement.For Radha Krishna, Tanu's handler and a constable with NDRF, she was like a daughter. "I still remember the day 10 years ago when I was made Tanu's handler and she was just three months old," he said."We developed an instant liking for each other and in all these years we became the world to each other. I fed her, groomed her and trained her and I did all this without fail every day for the past 10 years," said Krishna.He added, "She is an intelligent dog and was trained to sniff out people trapped in debris. She earned laurels during the Kedarnath tragedy and the Nepal earthquake. I was always with her during all her operations but now she has grown old and can no more serve on the force. One day, I will retire too. This is how things work."Tanu was sold off to Ghaziabad resident Sunil Pal for Rs 1,650. "The manner in which Tanu took commands from her handlers, I could make out she is an intelligent dog. I wanted her at any cost. So I persisted till the end," said Pal.Before Tanu left, she was garlanded by Krishna. While she was being taken by her new owner, she barked and repeatedly looked back, as if calling Krishna, but soon realized it was time to go.Tina was sold to Har Singh, who bought her for Rs 1,100. She offered stiff resistance when the time came to leave for her new home but was eventually pacified and allowed herself to be escorted. "I am a dog lover and will do everything to keep her happy," said Singh. Tina had participated in almost every search operation that Tanu did, officials said.P K Srivastav, commandant, eighth battalion of NDRF, said: "As per our policy, we retire dogs which have served for 10 years or more. In our canine unit, three dogs — Tina, Tanu and Channo — recently retired and It was an emotional moment when our dogs who we trained were taken away."The new owners were selected through an auction."Unlike dogs in other forces like CRPF, Army and CISF, which are trained to detect explosives and landmines, dogs at NDRF are trained in rescue and search operations. So they are sold off as there is no scope of them being misused," said Srivastav.

Stay updated with all the Ghaziabad Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.