Lola, the youngest border guard, has already achieved her first success
Lola, a 4-kilogram Jack Russell terrier, works along the border with Hungary, searching for weapons and explosives. In just a month and a half on the job, the smallest dog in the Chop Border Guard Detachment has already made a name for herself—she found hidden ammunition on one of the buses.
Lola is the smallest service dog in the Chop Border Guard Detachment. She weighs only four kilograms, but her size doesn’t prevent her from doing serious work. The four-legged searcher serves at a checkpoint on the border with Hungary. Her main specialty is searching for weapons and explosives. Lola works alongside Border Guard Inspector Oleksandr Stetsenko.
For Oleksandr, this is already his third service dog in 11 years of working in canine training. Previously, his partners were Belgian Shepherds—large, strong dogs commonly used for this type of service. This time, he decided to try something completely different. “It’s a new and interesting experience. Besides, a small dog has its advantages at the border crossing,” says the dog handler.
Indeed, Lola’s compact size helps her on the job. She can easily reach small and hard-to-reach places inside vehicles where a large dog might struggle to squeeze in. Thanks to this, Lola can thoroughly inspect the passenger compartment and other parts of the vehicles. This little search dog has another unique trait as well. Passengers are often wary of large service dogs, but Lola, on the contrary, makes people want to come up and pet her.
Sometimes she even gets too much attention from travelers. Oleksandr has to make sure people don’t distract his partner while she’s working, don’t try to offer her treats from outside sources, and don’t interfere with her tasks. For Lola, treats are the best motivation. As soon as she sees a reward, she’s ready to work with all her energy. According to her handler, this little dog has plenty of enthusiasm and a constant desire to improve her skills.
Off duty, Lola lives with her handler and his cats. There, she’s no longer a stern search dog but just a regular family pet. Though, according to Oleksandr, the cats sometimes act as if they’re the ones in charge of the house. But on duty, Lola is completely focused on her work. Even though she’s only been on the job for about a month and a half, the dog has already achieved her first significant result.
While inspecting one of the buses, Lola discovered ammunition hidden in the glove compartment. For the young service dog, this was important confirmation that her training and practice are paying off. Lola’s story clearly shows that in service dog work, size does not determine a dog’s capabilities. What matters are a keen sense of smell, temperament, stamina, regular training, and a strong bond with her handler. Lola seems to have all of these in spades.
This little search dog still has a lot of work ahead of her. For now, she goes on duty every day with her partner and helps border guards inspect vehicles and passengers. This was reported by
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