A puppy kindergarten run by Mexico's army trains rescue and drug-sniffing dogs

SAN MIGUEL DE LOS JAGÜEYEZ, Mexico — In the middle of a military base outside Mexico City, an army colonel runs what he calls a kindergarten for dogs.

Puppies that one day will become rescue dogs, or sniffer dogs for drugs or explosives, get their basic training here, at Mexico’s Army and Air Force Canine Production Center. The puppies are born and spend their first four months at the facility, before being sent to military units around the country for more specialized training.

Founded in 1998, the center has in the past produced breeds such as German Shepherds and Rottweilers.

Now, it exclusively breeds Belgian Malinois — about 300 of them a year.