Military and police working dogs (MWD or PWD), have worked their tails off in their careers and deserve to be happy in retirement. These K9s will spend their lives training and working for either a military or police service and thus in turn protecting the public They do not have easy lives, and they certainly do not get the same amount of play as their “pet” versions. In fact, in the US it wasn’t until President Bill Clinton passed Robby’s Law in 2000 which allowed handlers to adopt their retired police and military dogs. Up until then these dogs were routinely euthanized. This is why it’s very noble that there are people out there willing to adopt them and give them the retirement they deserve.
It is important to note that usually military or police dogs are adopted by their handler and that it is standard practice for the service to allow the handler to adopt them first. In some cases with military dogs, if the handler doesn’t want to or can’t adopt the dog, the military service will offer it to a law enforcement service first before offering it to the public. Police dogs are usually offered to the public if their handler doesn’t want to or can’t adopt them.
If you are looking at a Military or Police dog you should know you will be probably looking at breeds that include Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and in some cases Springer Spaniels. These dogs are typically 8-12 years of age as that is the time period they are normally retired at. However, there are instances where dogs are retired earlier, for example a dog that could not pass the strict military or police training requirements would be retired at a year old. In other cases the dogs may have medical issues that require them to retire earlier.
Finally, if you are looking at adopting a military or police dog you should make sure to complete the following checklist. They may not be requirements by the service who will probably allow you to adopt without doing all of these things, but generally in order to ensure the dog and yourself have a good time they are good ideas to complete.
- Get a fenced-in yard
- Adopt only if you are not planning on moving in 6 months
- Sign up for training
- Get a medical care plan
- Come up with a schedule for companionship and training for your service dog
- Consider any current pets you have and how they will get along (or not) with your new service dog
Remember, these are service dogs that like to work. They are going to want to run around and be active so if you aren’t ready for that kind of activity please do not adopt one. In most cases, a police or military dog will enjoy the companionship of a family but might have difficulty adjust to life with kids under the age of 5 so that will be something to consider on a dog by dog basis. Finally, be prepared for a lot of more work and training than a normal dog, a police or military dog is a substantial commitment. With that said, it can also be one of the most rewarding experiences and many people will tell you it’s the best decision they ever made.
Ben