an awesome ending

[crewchief_chick]

On one of my last missions in Afghanistan I was out on a patrol base where they have a lot of the MWD's...whether they be bite, explosive, or drug dogs, and i've seen everything from a Weimaraner to a pit mix to mals and sheps.

One of the guys was getting ready to head out with his shepherd Max, and I introduced myself and asked if I could say hi, the handler said hi and I proceeded to make friends and get slobbered on by this gorgeous ol boy.

I found out that Max was retiring due to him slowly going blind, but that his handler was adopting him and taking him home to the states to his family that already has two other GSD's.

What an awesome end to a great career for a MWD who gets to retire with the rank of 1SG and live out the rest of his days comfortably playing with friends, being lazy, and being loved on.

Just wanted to share.

[KZoppa]

Thats awesome!!! Way to go for Max. Always a good thing to hear when a dog gets to retire with his handler and family. Thanks so much for sharing! That was a great start to the day!

[GuardianShep]

thts how it should be.. glorified life..

just so to ask, (im not accustomed to army rankings and lifestyle), are these dogs allowed to keep their rank after retirement?? i mean, will the be known as Retd Army Seargent and such??

i thank the handler who takes him. he'll be happy with him

[crewchief_chick]

Originally Posted by jebinelias

thts how it should be.. glorified life..

just so to ask, (im not accustomed to army rankings and lifestyle), are these dogs allowed to keep their rank after retirement?? i mean, will the be known as Retd Army Seargent and such??

i thank the handler who takes him. he'll be happy with him

I'm fairly certain he gets to keep his rank and everything else. MWD's basically have the same entitlements as a Soldier.

[valreegrl]

I have a question.....

MWD's - how is their adoption rate? Often by the handler and/or their family?

[K9SHOUSE]

I believe the present handler usually has first choice, then they give priority to retired military handlers, then it opens to the public who are screened for compatibility. I'm not sure if they group law enforcement K9 handlers active/retired (wanting the dog as a pet) into the public pool or with retired military handlers.

If I remember correctly from a documentary about Vietnam era military dogs they outranked their handlers. Not sure if it's still that way. It should be though.

I think their adoption rate is high if they are adoptable. Even the tougher dogs to place should be able to find homes with retired handlers. I know most law enforcement agencies have low turnovers for dogs due to the expenses of training so if you want a retired working dog or one that didn't totally make the cut for whatever reason Lackland is pretty much the place to go.