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Adoption Program Lets Working Dogs Become Pets
(September 5, 2009) |
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Air Force Staff Sgt. Christa Quam holds her puppy, which will enter the military working dog program in a year at Lackland
Air Force Base, Texas. The dogs are enrolled in a 60- to 90-day
training program, where they are trained in explosive and drug
detection, deterrence and handler protection. |
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2009 Military working dogs have come a
long way since the days of ancient Persia and Assyria, where they donned armor,
spiked collars and warned of impending attack or charged on the enemy's cavalry.
But they are as important as ever, and U.S. military leaders are making sure
they are rewarded with a happy retirement.
Defense Department officials have created a standard operating procedure used by
all kennels to ensure excess military working dogs have a chance to go to
deserving adoptive homes.
The department, in accordance with the November 2000 "Robby Law," enables
military working dogs to be transferred or adopted out to former handlers, law
enforcement agencies or families who are willing and able to take on the
responsibility of former military working dog. The department adopts out about
300 dogs per year, about 100 of those to law enforcement agencies outside of the
department. |
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Dogs are available for adoption throughout the United States and some overseas
locations. Most available dogs have failed to meet working standards, while
others become available after completing their military service.
Although the adoption process at the Military Working Dog schoolhouse at
Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, is rigorous and contingent on demand and
eligibility, families can adopt dogs somewhat quickly, said Air Force Maj. Gen.
Mary Kay Hertog, the Pentagon-based executive agent of the military working dog
program.
"Families can normally complete the adoption process in less than 30 days if
they and the dogs meet the eligibility requirements," Hertog said. "The Robby
Law changed the way the [Defense Department] does business, and we go to
extraordinary lengths to make sure dogs are adopted out."
Air Force Maj. Kathy Jordan, 341st Training Squadron commander at Lackland,
described the two-page adoption application as a simple tool to garner
information about prospective families.
"It's an application, not an essay,” she said. “We're seeking basic information
about other pets or children in the household to ensure that we have the right
fit and that you're able to properly take care of your dog."
A follow-up interview queries prospective families about their expectations of a
military dog.
"Are the adopters looking for a dog to guard their house or go walking with
them?" Jordan said. "Are they seeking a high-activity or low-activity dog? We
collect these details because we want the adoption to be successful."
High demand for adoption -- not the adoption process -- can put prospective
adopters on the waiting list for two to three months, Hertog said. On most days,
about 250 dogs are training at Lackland, and a small percentage of dogs unfit to
work in the field will become eligible for adoption. All military dogs are
trained at Lackland and then are sent to operational units throughout the
department.
Belgian malinois, Dutch shepherds, German shepherds and Labrador retrievers
ranging from 2 to 12 years old are declared "excess" when they are no longer in
the military program. Dogs adopted from field kennels typically are 8 to 12
years old, while dogs adopted from the schoolhouse range from 2 to 4 years old.
Eligibility requirements include suitability testing, a veterinary screening,
eligible home location and required paperwork completion, Hertog said.
The stateside and overseas demand for military working dogs, especially
explosive-detector dogs, has spiked since Sept. 11, 2001, and the average
retirement age has dropped from 10 and a half to 8 and a half due to the rigors
of the their jobs, Jordan said. The military has added combat-tracker and
off-leash specialized search dog capabilities to the program.
Most field dogs have deployed at least once, often multiple times, while dogs
adopted from the schoolhouse rarely have deployed, Jordan said. She added that
any given dog's experiences warrant a thorough assessment of their temperament
and acclimation back into a home.
"These dogs, for the most part, have been aggression trained, so rigorous
screening is critical," she said. "The bite muzzle process involves muzzled and
unmuzzled scenarios for the dog, putting him in the training environment and
seeing how likely he or she is to attack the decoy." Depending on the score
rating at the end of the test, the dog is deemed "suitable," "guarded" or "not
suitable." Adoption officials consider such factors as children, other dogs in
the home, and prior handler experience when determining placement for a dog,
Jordan said.
Families of handlers who have been killed in action also have first opportunity
to adopt the handler's dog. Dogs wanted by neither their handlers nor law
enforcement agencies are posted on the adoption Web site, she said.
"Even though our handlers get first call at adopting their dogs, they do not
short-circuit the process in place," Hertog said. "Handlers who may have been
with a dog for a couple of years still have to wait for the adoption process to
run its course in order to call the dog their own."
The adoption process is not the only thing to improve over time, Hertog said.
She described the schoolhouse as a "state-of-the-art" training and veterinary
facility that has evolved since directives to Air Force major commands in 1965
had them assemble 40 handlers and 40 dogs at Lackland for 120 days of temporary
duty in Vietnam. The trial run success encouraged officials to augment the
military working dog program, she added.
"We lucked out - we're honored to be the executive agent for this program,"
Hertog said. "Our training program and dog school has existed at Lackland for
decades, and it continues to get better."
The general added that she answers swiftly when people ask her and schoolhouse
staff members if they feel guilty about sustaining such a sophisticated facility
for dogs.
"No -- because these dogs work for us as our best detectors, ... especially our
explosive detector dogs," she said. "There is nothing -- no piece of equipment
or technology available today -- that can beat the scent of that dog's nose. So
we're going to do everything we can to take care of those dogs."
The adoption program also has placed some terminally ill dogs with adoptive
families, giving them an opportunity to live out their lives in loving homes,
Jordan said.
"That dog is not just a piece of equipment -- it's what enables us to save
lives; so we exhaust all avenues to ensure the dogs remain as healthy as
possible," she asserted.
Contrary to popular belief, Hertog said, retired dogs, unless deemed by a
veterinarian as seriously ill and suffering, or unsuitable due to aggression,
are not typically euthanized following military service. Since November 2000,
only a few dogs have been euthanized for lack of a good home, while thousands
have been placed in private homes, she added.
Although the program will expedite processing for dogs out of the state and
country, the general clarified why adopters must bear the brunt of transport for
adopted dogs returning from overseas.
"Once that dog is adopted, it becomes a pet, and therefore loses its [military
working dog] status," she explained, so it would be inappropriate for the
Defense Department to transport that pet.
Despite regulations barring department-sponsored transport of adopted dogs,
Hertog said, the department provides a number of services to adopting families.
Adoption coordinators provide follow-up e-mails and calls to check on the dogs
and families, and the coordinators also furnish information about low-cost Air
Force Services Agency dog training for families who adopt in the San Antonio
area, where most adoptions take place.
"The extra assistance is not required, and we're not staffed to do it,” Jordan
said. “We just have people who are passionate about the dogs and want to ensure
smooth adoptions."
The program also offers a breeder and foster program for families who live in
the San Antonio area and are interested in offering short-term care to dogs.
More than 100 puppies at Lackland can be fostered for the first two to six
months of their lives. Foster families must bring the dogs to Lackland for
monthly check-ups and must work diligently to socialize the puppy.
"We want the puppies to spend time with the families to socialize them to their
new environment," Jordan said. "Foster families are screened just as rigorously,
if not more so, than adopting families."
The cradle-to-grave philosophy of caring for dogs is the hallmark of the
department's military working dog adoption program and schoolhouse, Hertog said.
"There is no shortage of suitable homes ready and willing to provide a
comfortable retirement for our four-legged heroes," she added.
In an effort to further clarify the adoption process, the schoolhouse recently
launched an adoption Web site for families who want to take in dogs for
fostering or adoption | |
By USAF TSgt. Amaani Lyle
Secretary of the Air Force public affairs office
Special to
American Forces Press Service
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Griffin
Copyright 2009
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