The Shalaika (AKA the Sulimov Dog) is a Russian breed used in airport security for explosive detection. We’ll put “dog” in quotes because, while it is recognized as a dog by the Russian Kynological Federation, its roots make it actually a jackal-dog hybrid! The earliest ancestors for the breed are composed of two Lapponian Herders and two Turkmen golden jackals, with later infusion of the Smooth Fox Terrier, Nenets Herding Laika, and a general “spitz” breed otherwise unnamed. Created by the biologist Klim Sulimov in 1975, who wanted to create a dog with exceptional sniffing abilities… he certainly accomplished this goal as they are said to be able to identify up to half a million odors! The breed’s small size enables them to work effortlessly in confined spaces and they also have been bred with the ability to work in extremely varied temperatures – helping them to do their job without slowing down. They have been employed in Aeroflot airports since 2001.
In addition to explosive detection, the Shalaika has also been able to use an olfactory monitoring system built by Aeroflot, which has further allowed these dogs to use their talented noses in identifying other odors – most notably certain types of cancers but also viruses like the coronavirus. This system uses special gear that the dogs wear, which sends the information about the odors to a computer which then helps to identify the nature of substances they detect! It sounds like something out of science fiction, but it is in fact true and the company has even won awards for the innovative project!
The Shalaika is said to be easy to train despite their wild heritage. This was an essential function as they were always meant to be working dogs. Indeed, they take to their scent detection jobs very quickly and enthusiastically and their loyal nature suggests that they also enjoy working with their handlers. They are friendly with the public (they’d need to be – as they interact in public spaces every day) and very intelligent.
The Shalaika does not at this time exist outside of Russia, and in fact, all dogs seem to be owned and used by Aeroflot. This said, there is hope that this rare emerging breed will one day expand outside of the region (and company) so that others in the dog fancy might be able to own one. The fact that they are now recognized by, and listed on, Russia’s kennel club might indicate that their time is coming!
