She lost the sense of sight when she was carrying out operations to eradicate illicit plantations with the troops in the rural area of the municipality of San José del Guaviare.
Ada, a golden-hued, five-year-old Labrador retriever dog, was trained in the specialty of search and detection of explosive substances. She, together with the military personnel of the EXDE Team (counter explosives group), carried out military operations in the departments of Meta, Guaviare, Casanare, Arauca and Putumayo.
By 2021, due to contact with coca leaf plants, which are impregnated with fungicidal chemicals, she got a burn on her conjunctiva, which caused corneal ulcers, and, due to conjunctivitis, corneal opacity. This is why she was diagnosed with optic neuritis and mydriasis was evident.
When she lost the sense of sight, she was evacuated to the Dogs Preparation and recurrent training Center, CERCA, of the Engineer Battalion No. 7 Carlos Albán Estupiñán, for her care and formalization of her time of service to the National Army.
While Ada retires from active duty due to medical disability, she continued to be useful to the institution. Seeing her ability to connect with people and, especially, her empathy with children, a process was initiated to adapt her and turn her into an assisted therapy and emotional support canine. In this way, Ada began to support the civilian and military people children in need. She, with so much desire to live, has motivated people to move on after accidents or traumas.
Ada developed her sense of smell much more that her others and this has led her to participate in dog shows, where she surprises by her abilities, and today she lives in her new home, in the department of Antioquia, with the Family that adopted her. Thus, in a spacious farm, she is happy sharing with other trained dog and feline.
Source: National Army
