Dharamsala, Feb 11 (IANS): Over a decade of loyalty to keep Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama safe, his security dog was sold for partly Rs 1,550 ($20).

This is the story of a sniffer Labrador dog named Duka that was deployed in the Dalai Lama's security was auctioned after serving for 12 long years this week by Himachal Pradesh Police.

The police used Duka to patrol the Dalai Lama's official palace and to sniff out potential bomb threats.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Nitin Chauhan, who is deployed in the security of the Dalai Lama, told the media that Duka was especially trained to warn the police about explosives.

He used to do recee at venues before public engagements of the Dalai Lama.

Officials in the Dalai Lama's security told IANS that Duka was the most trusted dog of the Dalai Lama.

Now the responsibility of protecting the Dalai Lama has now been given to nine-month-old Tommy. Tommy was trained by Punjab Home Guards Canine Training and Breeding Institute and purchased for Rs 3 lakh.

Duka was purchased in year 2010 from the Army Training Centre for Rs 1.23 lakh at the age of seven months. After his initial training, he was deployed in the Dalai Lama's security and was dedicatedly serving as a asoldier', said a police official.

Duka, who lost hearing power, is now owned by his handler Rajiv Kumar, a police staffer.

The Dalai Lama resides in Dharamsala's suburb McLeodganj, which is home to a large Tibetan population and headquarters of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

The Dalai Lama is one of the highly protected figures in India enjoying three-tier security.