Nepal Army Holds Special Dog Show as Nepal Marks Kukur Tihar
Trained army dogs showed off their search, tracking and security skills at a special show in Madhyapur Thimi, as the Nepal Army marked Kukur Tihar, the festival day that honours dogs.
Published November 8, 2026 1:26 pm GMT+0545
The Nepal Army has held a special dog show to mark Kukur Tihar, putting its trained dogs through their paces in front of crowds at Madhyapur Thimi.
The show was held at the Bhairav Vahan Gulm on Sunday, the day of the Tihar festival set aside to honour dogs. The dogs were worshipped first, then demonstrated the skills they are trained for, including searching for and identifying people and objects, tracking, guarding, and detecting suspicious items.
Major General Harendra Pathak, who heads the Army's management division, described dogs as an important supporting strength for the force, calling them a force multiplier that makes search and security work more effective. He said training dogs with limited resources and equipment is a difficult task, but the results are worth it.
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Dogs also raise the morale of soldiers on duty in war and in the jungle, he said, adding that a dog's sense of smell is between 10,000 and 100,000 times stronger than a human's. That sense of smell allows dogs to pick up suspicious people and explosives from a long distance, he said.
The Army said it worships dogs every year on Kukur Tihar, treating them as symbols
The Mayor of Madhyapur Thimi, ward chairs, army officers, veterinary doctors, security personnel and journalists attended the event. Kukur Tihar, the second day of Tihar, is marked across Nepal by placing garlands around dogs' necks, applying tika to their foreheads and feeding them, in thanks for their loyalty and protection.
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