A 26-month-old Belgian Malinois service dog named Pars, trained by the Search and Rescue Unit of Ondokuz Mayıs University Disaster Education and Management Application and Research Center, has been assigned to the Samsun Provincial Police Department.

At a ceremony held at the OMU Search and Rescue Training Center, Fatma Aydın, Rector of Ondokuz Mayıs University, formally handed over the search and rescue dog Pars to Ahmet Arıbaş, Chief of the Samsun Provincial Police Department.

The handover ceremony was attended by Rector Fatma Aydın and Police Chief Ahmet Arıbaş, as well as Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ayşe Pınar Sumer, Secretary General Prof. Dr. Erhan Burak Pancar, Director of the OMU Disaster Education and Management Application and Research Center Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yener Aksoy, Search and Rescue Team Leader Uğur Güngör, police officials, and members of the media.

Rector Aydın: “Dost is the only university-accredited dog in Türkiye”

Emphasizing the vital role search and rescue dogs play in disaster response and crime prevention, Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın stated:

“As part of our canine training efforts, we trained a dog we named ‘Dost.’ The starting point of this process was our team’s direct experience during the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, where they witnessed firsthand how critical dogs are in rescue operations. After returning, we decided to begin the training of Dost, who was still a puppy at the time. Following an uninterrupted training process lasting approximately three to four years, Dost took part in the examination conducted by the Ministry of Interior and successfully passed, earning accreditation. To the best of our knowledge, Dost is the only dog among universities in Türkiye to hold such accreditation. When needed, Dost is deployed to relevant units and actively takes part in various operations.”

“Capable of serving in explosives and narcotics detection”

Noting that the Belgian Malinois service dog Pars has now been placed at the service of the police force, Rector Aydın said:

“Pars was born in 2023 and is a Belgian Malinois. Primarily trained for detection work, Pars can identify taught substances with a high success rate. He is capable of serving in different fields such as explosives and narcotics detection. As also stated by our Police Chief, Pars will be further specialized, particularly in narcotics detection, and will serve in this field.”

Police Chief Arıbaş: “Dogs are among our most important field assistants”

Highlighting Pars’s role in combating serious crimes, Samsun Provincial Police Chief Ahmet Arıbaş remarked:

“In the operations we carry out, dogs are among our most important assistants in the field. We believe that Pars will make significant contributions to our teams, particularly in the fight against critical crimes. I would like to thank our Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın and everyone involved for their thoughtful and supportive approach.”

Pars will undergo branch-specific training in narcotics detection and, following the completion of this process, will serve within the Samsun Provincial Police Department to enhance public safety.

Still the only center among universities

OMU’s Disaster Education and Management Application and Research Center and its Search and Rescue Unit remain the first of their kind among universities in Türkiye. Established on a voluntary basis, the OMU Search and Rescue Team completed its “Urban Search and Rescue” training last year and was accredited by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) under the Ministry of Interior. The unit also played an active role in the 6 February Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, providing assistance to numerous citizens.

As a unit that trains search and rescue dogs, it continues to hold the distinction of being the only center of its kind among universities. In addition to “Dost,” an accredited Golden Retriever live search and rescue dog, the OMU Search and Rescue Unit is also training Pars’s one-year-old offspring as a future search and rescue dog.

Training of the dogs at the center is conducted by two expert trainers, Gökhan Özel and Yıldıray Ortahisar.