Prior to the swarming Olympic tourists, sniffer dogs from across the country are sent to Beijing.

A total of 160 specially trained explosive-sniffing dogs have set for China's capital, where they will join their 44 Beijing counterparts to help guard security before and during the Olympics in August and Paralympics in September.

The canine bomb detectors, all selected from local public security bureaus in the country, are expected to serve around key facilities including Olympic venues,logistics centers, airports and VIP residences, after a one-month intensive training in Beijing.

The dogs range in types from Labrador Retriever and Germany shepherd dog to English Springer Spaniel.

"In general, wiry fur and large bodies are indispensable factors for the dogs we had sent to Beijing," said a public security officer in Gansu, a northwestern province where eight sniffer dogs set for Beijing on Monday.

The capital city has been using sniffer dogs to detect drugs in public places, such as the airport, subway and railway stations and shopping malls since June 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2008)