Adopting A Military Dog On This Independence Day

4th July, The American Independence Day is referred to as a federal holiday honoring the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It is a day to celebrate the freedom we were gifted by our warriors who not only contributed their blood and sweat but also their lives. Even today, the devoted men and women of our country are giving limbs and lives to protect our freedom. Well! Many of these soldiers have four legs! Dogs have served side-by-side in combat with U.S soldiers for decades. We have heard that a dog can go above and beyond to save his master but military dogs contribute their lives to save the nation. Military dogs detect weapons, explosives and even root out enemy forces.

Historically the MWDs were viewed as ‘surplus equipment’ but the mindset has changed dramatically. The increasing awareness of how these dogs were treated even after dutifully serving for their nation triggered people to provide comfort and quality time to these military dogs when they retire.

Have you ever thought of parenting a military working dog who has worked as a field or training dog instead of the one you find in a local shelter? If you are considering adopting a military working dog then here are the things that you need to take into account.

Adopting a Military Working Dog

Adopting a military working dog is much more than just adopting a dog. The military working dogs are not exactly working dogs as MWD is the official name for retired military or police dogs. These MWDs are retired from their duty due to their health or age or due to the inability to perform the required task. Earlier, it was often assumed these expertly trained dogs would never adapt to civilian life, as a result, they were turned into foreign allies of conflict zones or were often euthanized.

However, the good news is now these MWDs have to go through the behavioral test to ensure they are a good fit for civilian adoption. Furthermore, when you have finally planned to adopt an MWD, it is imperative to know the difference between Military Working Dogs and family pets.

Military Working Dogs v/s Family dogs

Adopting a military dog is not everyone’s cup of coffee. Dogs returning from service tend to be large breeds such as Labrador, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois or mixed breeds that may also be suffering from arthritis or other medical issues. Moreover, some dogs also display the sign similar to the post-traumatic stress disorder. Unlike family pets, these dogs have a unique set of skills acuminated for a specific purpose and this can also make potential pet parents nervous.

Therefore, the highly trained traits desirable in a military dog might make him a misfit as a family pet. MWDs are fiercely loyal in nature and are often independent. They possess different trained responses to the assorted physical or verbal commands.

As a result, in the majority of the cases, these dogs are not recommended for families with other pets or small children. Hence, the dogs unsuitable for adoption are generally channeled into work with law enforcement where they can utilize their training skills.

Steps To Adopt a Military Working Dog

Why would only MWDs go through adoption exams? So, even the members of the public who are interested in adopting the dogs have to be eligible for adopting a retired military working dog.

The retired MWDs are located at the Military Working Dog School and are available for adoption. The MWDs school operates out of Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and they have several requirements for adoptive families that include:

  • Military interviews the family to ensure what they will provide for the dog and also have to answer questions about other pets in their home. This is because some military dogs aren’t a suit to living with other pets.
  • Majority of the dogs aren’t good fits for families with kids so a family usually cannot have young children.
  • The military doesn’t transport dogs. Therefore, a family must be willing to travel to San Antonio to get the dog.

The military dogs might be a bit hard to handle but easy to love. So, on this Independence Day, adopt a national hero to nurture them with your care and affection as well as stock the most essential pet supplies for their complete health. Thus, give them a beautiful home, where they can get all the peace and love they deserve as well as.