- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
If you’ve ever watched a narcotics dog sniff suitcases at the airport, you’ve probably wondered, “What would it be like to have a dog like that at home?” Working dogs are smart, focused animals who have been highly trained. Their advanced skills and good behavior makes them seem like the perfect companion.
The good news is that working dogs can be adopted, often after their career in the field has ended. Adopting a working dog can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s not as easy as going down to the shelter and picking one. And it comes with some unique challenges too.
In this guide, we’ll help you understand how to adopt a retired police dog or other working dog. We’ve talked with experts, dug into the options, and put together all the information you need to decide whether a retired working dog is right for you—and how to bring one home.
What Are Retired Working Dogs?
While many dog breeds are considered “working dogs,” we’re using the term to mean pups that have been specially trained to perform a task or a role to help humans in some way. These dogs aren’t just good at tricks—they are professionals. They have important jobs like aiding the visually impaired or locating survivors after a disaster. Active working dogs are commonly found in police departments, the military, with emergency response teams, and in individual homes too.
Working dogs become available for adoption for a couple of reasons. A dog may hang up their uniform when:
- They have physical ailments that prevent them from doing their job effectively, such as hip dysplasia or cataracts.
- Their career has reached its natural end and it’s time to retire.
- They have behavioral traits or health concerns that make them unsuitable to complete the training program.
Just because a dog has failed training doesn’t mean that they won’t be a great pet. Working dog organizations run elite, demanding programs, and some dogs just aren’t the right fit. A dog that’s easily distracted probably won’t be a great guide dog, but they’d make an excellent pet. Plus, working dog training is a situation in which “too friendly” is a legitimate (and adorable) reason to fail.
Who Can Adopt Retired Working Dogs?
Paul Oldt and Dawn Nickles are the recently-retired founders of Patriot K9 Rescue, Inc., an organization that cares for retired working dogs. The pups that came through their central Pennsylvania facility had long careers in the military, police K9 units, and other similarly intensive working environments.
While working dogs have undergone extensive training, Paul and Dawn say that it’s not exactly what people think. “Yes, they are trained at bomb sniffing or catching the bad guy, but they are not obedience trained, at least not for the adopter. They may listen well to their handler, but they are trained to NOT respond to anyone else giving them directions.”
The duo points out that what we might consider “standard” puppy training isn’t always part of a working dog’s education. “They are not house trained, although they learn quickly. They are not trained to not tear things up in your house. You have to be careful as to what toys you give them and not to overstimulate them. Sometimes once these dogs are overstimulated, they flip a switch and can go a little nuts.”
Dog breeds with a naturally high prey drive are common in military and police working dog programs, and they’re trained to be protective. This means that these dogs may be best in a home without kids or other animals. The Patriot K9 Rescue team also notes that many of these working dogs come home with a variety of issues. These include PTSD, separation anxiety, skin conditions, allergies, and even cancer—the latter being especially a concern for dogs that have spent their careers sniffing through chemicals.
Plus, it can take these dogs a while to settle in and learn how to be a pet and not just a pro. That means there is an adjustment period for both dog and human.
Despite the challenges of adopting these pups, they deserve a good home. Paul and Dawn call their dogs heroes, and with good reason. Many served faithfully on the front lines of the military or police forces. Other working dogs, such as service dogs and guide dogs, have spent their lives keeping their keepers safe.
sssss1gmel via iStock
What are the best homes for retired military and police dogs?
For their highly skilled pups, Paul and Dawn typically recommend an adopter who knows what to expect. They frequently placed their retired working dogs with veterans and retired police. “The ideal adopter is a former working dog handler, one who has experienced the same conditions and stress, someone who knows the will and the drive of a working dog.”
Can I adopt a working dog without dog handling experience?
For people who aren’t yet ready for the challenges of a retired military pup but still are interested in a working dog, a pup that has spent its career in less intense situations may be more suitable. Retired service dogs are often more accustomed to life in a standard home. Pups that never got their working career off the ground are another great option to consider.
How To Adopt a Retired Working Dog or Failed Service Pup
The process for how to adopt a retired police or other working dog isn’t quite as easy as just wandering down to your local rescue organization. When working dogs retire or are removed from a training program, they are often made available for adoption through the training organization itself.
Different organizations have different guidelines for adopting out their retired or reassigned dogs, but you can generally expect a thorough application and interview process. These programs take extreme care in the selection, training, and placement of their dogs, and that care extends to adoptions, as well.
Working dog programs take extreme care in adopting out career-change dogs.
Guide Dogs of America, for example, calls their adoptable dogs “Career Change Dogs.” They take as much care in finding good non-working homes as they do in placing working dogs with people in need. Many similar organizations have strict requirements for adopters, from the size of your yard to the number of other animals in your home.
What’s the process to adopt a retired police dog or other working dog?
When adopting a working dog, it’s not uncommon to experience a long wait. Depending on the program, wait lists for healthy adoptable working pups can be years long. If you’re willing and able to adopt a dog that was career changed due to medical issues, you may find one available much sooner, but you have the additional commitment of caring for those needs.
The cost of adopting a working dog can be much higher than the average pet as well. Good Dog! Service Canines, based in Southern California, does not charge a fee for dogs that fail out of their training programs due to medical concerns. For healthy dogs, however, the adoption fees start at $2,000. They increase depending on the length and type of training the puppy received. Many service dog training organizations are non-profits, and the cost to professionally train a service dog is steep, with some estimates as high as $50,000. High adoption fees help the organizations recover their expenses and continue their work to train other dogs.
If you are approved to adopt a working dog, you’ll need to travel to the organization’s headquarters to meet the dog in person and transport it home. For example, the Transportation Security Administration’s Canine Adoption Program finds homes for dogs that do not pass explosive detection training. But you’ll need to get to San Antonio, Texas—and meet their strict criteria—to complete an adoption.
How can I find adoptable working dogs near me?
If a working dog sounds like the right pet for your family, start the search right away. As noted above, it can take years to be matched with the right dog.
A simple web search will turn up plenty of options, possibly even surfacing organizations local to your area or region. Here’s a brief list of working dog programs who offer adoptions to get you started.
Service Dogs:
Military/Police Dogs:
- 341st Training Squadron Military Working Dog Adoption Program
- Mission K9 Rescue
- TSA Explosives Detection Dogs
- Warrior Dog Foundation
Patriot K9 Rescue cofounders Paul and Dawn urge potential adopters to be intentional and thoughtful in their search for a retired police dog or military dog: “There are only a handful of places that adopt retired working dogs, and we would only recommend reputable ones that have properly vetted their dogs and are very careful about placing the right dog with the right family. I would never recommend anyone that will simply ‘ship you a dog’ without vetting you, your lifestyle, and meeting in person to make sure both the human and the dog feel comfortable with each other.”
They also point out that there is a difference between organizations that are providing service dogs to veterans and organizations that are finding homes for retired military dogs. At Patriot K9 rescue, they explain, “Our K9s are the veterans.”
Althom via iStock
What Can I Expect When I Adopt a Working Dog?
Whether they’re TSA bomb-sniffing dogs or guide dogs for people with special needs, working dogs are selected based on their intelligence, drive, and focus. If you adopt a working dog, you can expect some degree of all three.
Working dogs are selected based on their intelligence, drive, and focus.
Career change dogs come in all stages of training and experience. Some exit training early on, while others might make it quite far in the program before being dismissed.
Even a dog that is well-trained for a particular job isn’t necessarily trained for home life, as our experts Paul and Dawn noted above. The TSA’s Canine Adoption Program reiterates this point, setting clear expectations in their program description: “These dogs are highly active and in most cases, untrained and not house broken, but with proper training and care, they can be a great addition to families.”
Adopted working dogs are pets, not employees
Adopting a retired working dog means adopting a pet, not an employee. Remember, these dogs have either been deemed unsuitable to work, or they’ve retired from the job after years of service. Career change dogs are not to be trained for working in your home. For those who need a service dog at home, resources are available.
How can I set my non-working working dog up for success?
Adopting a working dog can come with some challenges. There are a few things you can do to make sure your new dog is happy and comfortable at home.
- Continue training. Some working dogs come with a complete round of training. Others have been let go from the training program and are not fully trained, and many aren’t trained to live in a regular home. The organization will tell you what level of training your dog completed. They can also give you advice on how to continue working with your new friend.
- Provide lots of exercise and activity. Potential working dogs are selected in part because of their energy and drive. You can often expect a focused, high-energy pup. Plenty of exercise and playtime will help keep them busy and wear them out.
- Give them time to relax. The flip side of a young training school drop-out is a mellow retiree. Many retired working dogs are content to spend most of the day lounging with their new family. After all, they’ve been working hard for years. Now it’s time to enjoy retirement! Even so, they may take time to settle into their new role as a family pet.
- Expect the same challenges and rewards as any adopted dog. Working dogs have some unique qualities and quirks, but all the same advice for bringing home a new dog applies.
While they may come with a variety of special abilities that may or may not be applicable to their new life as a pet, a working dog is still a dog. Adopting a police dog or other working dog will come with many of the same joys, triumphs, and occasional challenges as any other pet. If you’re prepared, you can enjoy a lifetime of love with your new best friend.
