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She’s fast, furry and can sniff out explosives within minutes.
And two-year-old Princess Levi will soon become one of the elite graduates of BCI Academy in Mogale City.
Princess Levi was enrolled in the explosive detection unit last year, following in the pawsteps of her canine parents, Luna (6) and Bakwena (7), who've been working for the academy for years.
Her mother, Luna, has been trained for narcotics detection and dad Bakwena identifies explosives for security companies, the South African Police Service and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department.
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Corinda Loots, the proud owner of Princess Levi and BCI Security, tells YOU that her fur-baby has emerged as a shining star in the academy despite her difficult start in life.
Princess Levi was born the runt of a litter of seven in July 2021 and wasn't breathing after birth.
Corinda (54), however, refused to accept that the pup was dead.
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“I said, ‘not on my watch’, so I took her little body and started giving her CPR. I prayed and softly pushed down on her chest and suddenly she started breathing,” she recalls.
When Corinda noticed Princess Levi had a little white patch on her chin that was different from the other puppies, “I told my son that this one is coming home with me," she says.
She adopted Princess Levi and the German Shepherd Belgian Malinois mix quickly became part of their family, joining older brother Sammy the Labrador.
For the first year of her life, Princess Levi was a house dog alongside Sammy and the two enjoyed swimming, running and playing all day together. But last year Corinda decided to enrol her into the academy to train for explosives detection.
“For the first year, I just wanted her to enjoy being a puppy and give her the proper love and attention. But I decided to train her to become a working dog because she is very active and is obsessed with the ball. With these breeds you must put them to work or else they will go crazy,” Corinda says.
Though she was tiny at birth and battled to breathe, today she weighs 30kg and after graduation will join the explosives detection unit alongside her father.
“With any detection training, we first start them off by focusing on the ball. The obsession with the ball must be so bad that they only want the ball,” Corinda explains.
Once the dog is focused on the ball, the trainers start hiding the ball in pipes for the dog to sniff it out. Once they find the ball, the dog will sit to indicate that they've found it.
Thereafter, the trainers stuff the ball with artificial narcotics or explosives and the dog will start associating the ball with the smell of the artificial narcotic or explosive.
Eventually the trainers take away the ball and the dog will detect the smell of just the substance or explosive.
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Corinda says Princess Levi has been put through the paces at the academy.
Before she graduates she'll be assessed by a trainer outside of the academy, who'll test to see if she can identify and point out the scent of explosives. After graduation, she'll be qualified to work with the police or security companies that need her services.
Corinda says German Shepherds usually work until they are about nine years old and then retire, adding that Princess Levi will make a significant contribution in the field of explosives detection.
After a hard day's work she will return home every evening, to spend time with Sammy and the rest of the family.
“She’s like a teddy bear that loves cuddles," Corinda says. "She speaks up, she can count, she opens doors, she’s just unbelievably clever. She just has such a humble and pleasant personality that everyone who sees her just wants to love her.”
Having lost her daughter 27 years ago, Corinda says saving Princess Levi’s life meant everything to her.
“Princess Levi taught me so much in life. She’s so special to me because she reminds me of my late daughter. Nobody can replace my daughter, but Princess Levi is just a special reminder of her.”
The hound's story, she says, is a reminder of the extraordinary potential within every life, no matter how humble the beginning may be.
