Military dogs are some of our greatest heroes. Always ready for action, never complaining, you won’t find a more loyal soldier anywhere. It’s my understanding that they are selected in the US and several countries in Europe, trained, assigned to a handler, and then shipped overseas with their respective soldier. The two work very closely during their time together, but what happens to the dog when his tour of duty is over?
One organization that works with the dogs all the way during this process is The Warrior Dog Foundation (https://warriordogfoundation.org/about-us/). The Warrior Dog Foundation was founded by a man named Mike Ritland, who had extensive experience working with service dogs during his career. He served as a Naval Special Warfare Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC) Trainer for the West Coast SEAL teams. He served as a Navy SEAL for 12 years, including serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and numerous special operations missions. He noticed that there was a need for an organization with the capability and facilities to care for our country’s retired working K9’s. He founded the Warrior Dog Foundation in 2013. Service dogs have a hard life and a hard transition to retirement. In order to be successful in their type of service, these dogs must have a different temperament than your average pet. They must be able to withstand loud sounds, explosions, and enemy fire all around them. These dogs have been specially selected from specific breeds depending on the role they will perform. These K9s, if they do enter service, undergo rigorous workouts, have special diets, and require a strong bond of mutual respect with their handler.
Because of the experiences that they have endured, the dogs return home with special mental and physical needs that cannot be met by the average citizen. If they are deemed unadoptable, they are euthanized because there is nowhere else for them to go. The Warrior Dog Foundation works diligently to make certain that this doesn’t happen. The Warrior Dog Foundation has expert caregivers who rehabilitate the dogs, helping them recover from mental and physical stress that they have endured. They have a 3-star rating from Charity Navigator. If you go to their site, you can help them directly with a cash or Venmo donation or shop for their Warrior Dog merchandise.
Mission K9 Rescue (https://missionk9rescue.org/) is another care organization for retired service dogs. They seem to have the same focus as the Warrior Dog Foundation, and are based in Houston Texas. They receive funding from Petco Love, Inspection Support Network, Zippy Paws, Zoetis Petcare “K-9 Courage Program, United States War Dogs Association and others. They have a 2-star Charity Navigator rating.
There is another rescue for retired service dogs which is called Patriot K9 Rescue (https://www.patriotk9rescue.com/). This appears to be a smaller endeavor based in Central Pennsylvania. They do not have a Charity Navigator rating.
From my perspective, helping our deployed servicepeople or service animals is not a recommendation for war. It is just one person helping out another person (or dog, as it were).
If you are in a cold region, try to stay warm!
Cindy
“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” Samuel Johnson
Everyday Ways 