Two dogs from the Canine Section of the Investigative Police (PDI), a force under the Ministry of Justice and Security of the Government of Santa Fe, had an outstanding performance this weekend in the Final of the 2025 Argentine Utility and Service Dog Championship, held between Saturday and Sunday in the city of Villa Carlos Paz, province of Córdoba.
In this edition, representatives of the Santa Fe Investigative Police took the top two places at the national level. The competition, organised by RSV Global Argentina 2000, an organisation recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the world's leading authority on the regulation of canine activities, crowned ‘Bono’ as Argentine champion, while ‘Black’ took second place.
‘Bono,’ a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois shepherd, led by his handler, Deputy Commissioner Luciano Serenelli, took first place in the Narcotics Detection Dogs category, while second place in the same category went to ‘Black,’ a one-year-old solid black German Shepherd puppy, led by Deputy Inspector Héctor Alonso.
Both dogs belong to the Drug Detection Dog Section of the Investigative Police and were recognised for achieving the highest scores in the ‘Drug Detection Dogs’ category. Another dog, ‘Lenny,’ also participated in the championship with his handler, Inspector Emanuel Balbuena.
‘With Bono, we were lucky enough to come first in the advanced narcotics search competition, just as we did in 2023. And this year we added a puppy named Black, who came second in the initial category, competing with six other dogs,’ explained Deputy Commissioner Serenelli, in charge of the PDI's Canine Section.
These distinctions confirm the high level of training, professionalism and expertise of the PDI's personnel and dogs, reaffirming their commitment to safety and service to the community.
