ADOPT A POLICE DOG

PROTECT. CELEBRATE. REHABILITATE

We are a national dog welfare charity which protects, celebrates and rehabilitates both serving and retired police dogs from across the United Kingdom.

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thinking of adoptING a police dog?

During their service, police dogs are owned by the Chief Constable of the police force they served with, not the individual police dog handler. Therefore, when the police dog retires, it is the responsibility of the police force to rehome them to a suitable home. Around 85% of police dogs will have their ownership transferred and retire to their former handler, spending retirement with their family.

However, around 15% of police dogs are not able to stay with their current handler into retirement. This could be due to a variety of reasons, for example, most handlers will take on a new police dog once their current dog retires, and they wish for their former colleague to have one-on-one time with a new owner, which they might be unable to provide due to their shift patterns and the responsibilities associated with their new police dog.

In these situations, the police force, supported by the police dog’s current handler, will search for a suitable home for the dog, and they will go on to live out their retirement with members of the policing family or members of the public who have kindly opened their homes.

If you would like to offer your home to police dog in retirement, you will need to contact your local police force and express your interest. No charities or organisations are permitted to rehome police dogs.

what do you need to CONSIDER WHEN ADOPTING A POLICE DOG?

Selecting the most suitable home for a police dog is extremely important, and they’re only rehomed after a number of suitability checks are undertaken including a requirement to undergo a police vetting check.

Like all dogs, retired police dogs come with quirks and individual needs, which need to be considered prior to rehoming. For example, during their service, police dogs will be kennelled, so their first time sleeping in a home environment will be once they’re retired.

The police force that is rehoming the dog will discuss their individual needs with you, arrange a home check, and a meet-and-greet with the police dog prior to rehoming decision being made.

ARE POLICE DOGS FUNDED IN THEIR RETIREMENT?

Whilst serving, a police dog’s care will be fully funded by the police force they serve with, including their veterinary care. Once retired, they are not afforded a pension and will therefore no longer receive any financial support from the police force they served with or from the Government. This means that the responsibility for all costs associated with a retired police dog falls to their former handler, or new owner.

When our Foundation launched in 2020, there were no pet medical insurance policies available to retired police dogs in the UK. Fast forward to 2022 and our corporate partner, Animal Friends Pet Insurance, became the first pet insurance company to offer insurance policies to retired police dogs, excluding pre-existing conditions.

HOW DOES THE FOUNDATION HELP OWNERS OF retired POLICE DOGS?

While the responsibility for covering the costs of care, treatment, and rehabilitation ultimately lies with the retired police dog’s owner, our Foundation launched to ease the burden, providing much-needed support to hundreds of retired police dogs from across the United Kingdom.

Pet medical insurance is now available, but it is likely to exclude pre-existing conditions. Due to the police dog’s career, they are more prone to developing medical conditions during service, prior to retirement. Therefore, if you’re considering rehoming a police dog, it’s important to be aware of the potential costs involved in their care and ensure that you are in a financial position to take this on.

MEET OUR RETIRED POLICE DOGS

meet our retired police dogs

Sponsor a retired police dog

Help us with the costs to rehabilitate heroic retired police dogs once they leave the line of duty by sponsoring a dog to support their ongoing care and treatment.

Your sponsorship pack will include:

  • Sponsorship certificate
  • Photo of your sponsor dog
  • A cuddly German Shepherd teddy
  • Quarterly email updates on your sponsor dog
Start your sponsorship

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