5 dogs with military intelligence unit in violence-plagued Ecuador given medals for service

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The dogs were quick and precise. One located the drugs and neutralized the person carrying them. Another found explosives hidden under a car tire. The dogs — Dayco, Amanda, Apolo, Zeus and Maly — were showing their skills Monday at a military intelligence brigade ceremony south of Ecuador’s capital of Quito in which they received decorations for their service. Uniformed men stood in formation as the canines received their medals. The commander of the Calicuchima General Intelligence Brigade said the dogs have played “a crucial role in public security and the fight against organized crime.”