As their bipedal comrades stood in formation, five canine members of the Ecuduran military intelligence unit received awards (and presumably many butt skritches) for their exceptional service to protect the people of the country, ABC News reports. Dayco, Amanda, Apolo, Zeus and Maly were recognized in the capital Quito on Monday for various feats, including sniffing out a bomb in a car’s tire and your typical cornering a drug dealer.
Col. Santiago Salazar, commander of the Calicuchima General Intelligence Brigade in which the canines serve, said the five play “a crucial role in public security and the fight against organized crime,” noting, “We want to pay fair tribute and recognition to the dogs” as the country rages with gang violence. (That’s not Fox “News” hyperbole: Ecuador has an epidemic of gang violence.)