Combining passion with service
Viktoriia Dorosh loves dogs. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a dog trainer. She went on to study veterinary medicine. She also participated in various dog training courses and took up dog breeding. After finishing her studies, she got a job in the Aviation Security Service at Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport, where she had daily contact with canine specialists from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS). Their work inspired her to enrol in specialized training at the SBGS Canine Training Centre.
Today Viktoriia is a first-category inspector and canine specialist for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. She works at Boryspil International Airport with her service dog, a four-year-old Rottweiler called Dzhakart.
Dzhakart has been trained to search for weapons, ammunition and explosives. Viktoriia leads him through daily practice in which he is totally focused on identifying relevant scents. Although none of the items Dzhakart has been trained to find have been discovered at Boryspil Airport while he has worked there, Viktoriia knows he does his job very well. Dzhakart regularly participates in competitions for service dogs, and thanks to his continuous training, he always achieves the highest scores.
Viktoriia and Dzhakart are one of approximately 1,500 teams of canine experts and their service dogs working in State Border Guard Service canine units throughout Ukraine. In 2021, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine provided the SBGS canine service with specialized equipment to help its teams do their work. This donation was part of a larger OSCE project to support the State Border Guard Service in Ukraine in preventing and combating illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition and explosives. The project supports the introduction of best international practices and the development and improvement of staff training programmes, including for the canine service. It is part of the OSCE’s comprehensive programme to assist the Ukrainian authorities in strengthening their capacities to prevent and combat all aspects of illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition and explosives.
In 2021, SBGS service dogs detected 188 weapons, 6,000 items of ammunition and 25.62 kilograms of explosives.
Viktoriia is proud to serve in the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and working with Dzhakart is a dream job for her: “I can combine my passion for dogs with service for the benefit of the state.”
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This story is drawn from the OSCE's 2021 Annual Report, page 36.
