Raaf

[LouiseBrooks]

I was stunned when I read this article I presumed after years of faithful service they were retired to their handlers not Pts.

Now I wonder about the army dogs.

here is the article that got me wondering

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-28/retirement-program-for-military-working-dogs-at-amberley-airbase/5046626

[temperamentfirst]

I am stunned to read this, because years ago the RAAF bought a program from us to keep track of the dogs and their 'pay' so it could be used for the dogs in retirement! Now i don't know what's been happening.

[kelpiecuddles]

Turk is 8 years old, if that's about the time frame since they bought the program that might be your answer TF. In my experience the defence force is incredibly slow implementing things like this and it may have taken this long to get the assessment program off the ground.

[Nekhbet]

No RAAF dogs were too high a liability. Look at our dog laws especially in Victoria. The training they have done is serious work, serious living, it's not schutzhund where they grab a sleeve. These dogs have been on hidden equipment and are trained to hang onto an offender come hell or high water. A dog like that there is not that many homes available able to handle them. If our dog laws were different and if we allowed more dogsports there would be more civilians out there able to look after our precious working dogs.

[Tempus Fugit]

In the USA, civilians have been able to adopt retired MWDs for 13 years.

[kelpiecuddles]

The ones they are talking about in that link may be bomb detection dogs, what Nekhbet is talking about are dogs trained in bite work and holding offenders, slightly different prior occupation...

Edited October 28, 2013 by kelpiecuddles

[Nekhbet]

In the USA, civilians have been able to adopt retired MWDs for 13 years.

Their laws and incessant paranoia with dogs is nowhere like ours. The dogs still have to go through an adoption suitability test first though, and remember not all MWD's are bite dogs, some are explosives detection.

[espinay2]

To date dogs such as explosives detection dogs etc have been retired/rehomed by our Defence Force without issue and I know some people who have one as a pet, but not the 'Military Working Dogs' which are very high drive and trained in bitework etc and what this article is specifically referring to. As Nekhbet mentions these are SERIOUS dogs. VERY high liability if anything goes wrong with these in a 'pet' home. They are now looking to home some of the 'milder' dogs in this role after extensive retraining - and only with their former handlers who know how to handle them. Some will still never be suitable for 'civilian' life. Note the RAAF also has a system where young dogs/pups that 'wash out' because they are not suitable for the role can be purchased by the public. The RAAF has its own breeding program and kennels for MWD at RAAF Amberley in Qld.Expolsive detection dogs etc however are often rescues or others which have been selected from various places for the role.They have very different training requirements to RAAF MWD so they need very different dogs.

Edited October 29, 2013 by espinay2

[Ryami]

I have watched my husband on the receiving end of the Military Working Dogs (in full padded suit of course) and these are not dogs you would want as a family pet. Their prey drive is insane, and they are trained to take down fully grown men. Watching one run down your loved one is truly terrifying!!

The Army bomb detection dogs are rehomed at the end of their careers (and when they don't cut the mustard during training).