28 November 2000 U.S. Landmine-Sniffing Dogs Off to Lebanon by Judy Aita Washington File Staff Correspondent New York -- In a conference room overlooking the United Nations, Sally, a 2-year-old Dutch shepherd, and her handler demonstrated the dog's remarkable ability to detect an antipersonnel landmine buried among the many massive potted trees lining the room. On command Sally began sniffing the floor and pots, then with a snappy bark, she sat down in front of the container with the "mine." In a few weeks, Sally will be off to Lebanon, not to perform for government officials, humanitarian aid workers and donors but to help make southern Lebanon livable again. Representatives of the United States, Lebanon, the Humpty Dumpty Institute, and the Marshall Legacy Institute gathered at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. November 28 to celebrate the deployment of Sally and five other trained mine detection dogs which make up the "K9 Demining Corps" to Lebanon. Over the past few years in 14 countries more than 300 dogs such as Sally have proved valuable in helping their human partners clear areas mined during wars so that civilians may return. But demining experts say that many more dog teams are needed as some 60 countries suffer the horror of landmines. The Humpty Dumpty Institute, a private aid agency, is funding the purchase, training and transport of the six dogs to Lebanon thanks to its co-chairman William Rouhana and his wife, Amy Newmark. Rouhana and Newmark asked that, instead of traditional wedding gifts, guests contribute money to the institute to train the dog team. "I know it will help the people of Lebanon to get their lives back in order, but I'm also hopeful it will have a more global impact on the region" and encourage the peace process, Rouhana said. Pat Patierno, director of the U.S. State Department Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs, said that "at the State Department we are convinced that the combination of dogs and trained local handlers and deminers with appropriately tailored support equipment create, perhaps, the optimal demining technology." "Dogs olfactory tissues are 1000 times more effective than humans," Patierno said. "Dogs are highly environmentally friendly as compared to machines and explosive charges. This is important when clearing land for agriculture purposes." "Lebanon is still a country recovering from years of civil conflict that involved many armed forces and factions, foreign and domestic, both government and non-government actors. While estimates regarding the number of landmines in Lebanon vary greatly, the problem continues to plague a number of regions throughout the country, particularly in the Bekaa Valley," he said. "Dogs may be an answer to the problem in Lebanon. There is no single technological solution to all mine-clearance scenarios. Machinery can be helpful under certain circumstances, but difficult terrain often severely limits or obviates its use. Moreover, manual methods and/or mine detecting dogs must follow machines in order to attain humanitarian clearance standards. In these cases humans can bear the brunt or be assisted by highly trained dogs with a proven olfactory capacity for finding explosives," Patierno said. After screening to ensure that they are well suited for their job, Sally and the other dogs bound for Lebanon underwent about 12 weeks training at the Global Training Academy in Texas. Once in Lebanon, the dogs will undergo an additional twelve weeks of training with their local handlers to adjust to the country. While cost effective in the long term, dog teams have a high initial price. The typical cost of acquiring, training, and delivering a certified mine detection dog to a contaminated country is approximately $16,000. Unfortunately, the countries most devastated by landmines are often the least able to afford the investment. Thus, the combination of the U.S. State Department, Humpty Dumpty Institute and the Marshall Legacy Institute made the K9 Corps for Lebanon possible. Lebanese diplomat Ibrahim Assaf said that the contribution "reflects once again the spirit of solidarity existing between American and Lebanese peoples." "During 22 years of Israeli occupation 120,000 landmines were laid in southern Lebanon and western Bekaa by the Israeli forces and their collaborators. These landmines continue to threaten the population and the displaced persons who would return home," Assaf said. According to Lebanon's demining office, 11 persons have lost their lives and 54 were wounded by landmine explosions since the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon on May 25, 2000, he said. While the U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) are coordinating mine clearance activities in the region, the maps of the mined areas provided by Israel are incomplete, Assaf said. "As of November 24, only 1,629 anti-personnel mines and 22 anti-tank mines have been removed from the contaminated areas." Since 1998 the U.S. government has contributed over $2.3 million to humanitarian demining programs in Lebanon and over $400 million in mine action assistance to 37 mine affected countries since 1993. The aid has included training, medical evacuation, mine awareness, equipment, victims' assistance and the development of new mine clearance technologies. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. 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