There are close to 300 dogs in police service and 20 in search and rescue work.

Canines - with a sense of smell 1,000 times more sensitive than that of humans - do dangerous jobs like sniffing out explosives, as well as narcotics, at Singapore's various checkpoints and ports. With their handlers, they also guard prisons and drug rehabilitation centres.

Read Dawn Tan's full story in tomorrow's edition of The Sunday Times.