Seems hard to believe, but the U.S. Air Force says it’s having a hard time finding homes for retired military working dogs.
The dogs are typically retired when they’re ages 10-12.
While young puppies rejected by the military for various reasons typically are snapped up right away, the Air Force has been struggling recently to find forever homes for older dogs, according to PawBuzz.
Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio is where military working dogs are trained. The most common breeds put into service are German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and Belgian malinois.
“Every (military working dog), when they’re retiring, they do a behavioral test and an adoption test to make sure they’re not going to be food aggressive or bite a small child or chase the mailman down the street,” MAC Chief Petty Officer Jason Silvis told PawBuzz.
To adopt, you must be screened. You shouldn’t have any children in your home under age 5. And you must be willing to visit San Antonio to pick up your pup.
Former handlers and law enforcement agencies get first pick, but there’s typically plenty of remaining four-legged pals to choose from.
For more information, click here to visit the Lackland Air Force webpage.
___
© 2019 The Columbus Dispatch
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
