When a police dog retires, it deserves a special family to love and be loved.
Unfortunately, many police handlers cannot keep all their dogs as they usually have several already – some working and some retired. And there are many reasons why a dog would retire. Nevertheless, this means 11 police dogs were looking for forever homes.
The police Dog Training School began its history in Spain during the early 1950s. Nine German shepherds were the pioneers, and today there are hundreds of dogs. These dogs dedicate their lives to working in the Army, the Police, the Guardia Civil, or the Fire services.
El #ServicioCinológico de la @guardiacivil tiene su sede en la Escuela de Adiestramientos de Perros. Allí empezó su historia a principios de los años 50. Nueve pastores alemanes fueron los pioneros, hoy son cientos de canes. pic.twitter.com/lUnXUO5WOI
— Guardia Civil 🇪🇸 (@guardiacivil) December 23, 2021
According to an article by Sport.es, five of the retired police dogs have already been adopted.
Adopted
Sira, a 7-year-old female Belgian Shepherd who served with the Policia Nacional found her new home. She is in perfect health and gets on well with other dogs and people, but she tends to be a little shy at first.
Linda, a six-year-old German shepherd was adopted. She was not working too hard as she is full of fun and likes to play and was easily distracted.
Another family adopted Lezo, a two-year-old German Shepherd, belonging to the Army. He had to retire as he has one extra vertebra, it does not cause a problem for him to lead a full and happy life, but for work it is not possible. He is a very sociable dog
Other dogs that have been adopted so far, are Apolo who is a very active and sociable, nine-year-old Labrador and his friend Karla who is a ten-year-old Belgian Shepherd. She is very affectionate and loves cuddles. And lastly, Uganda is a young Belgian Shepherd who is just too sensitive to the dangerous work these dogs do.
Waiting for their forever homes
From the information we have to date, other dogs are still available.
Including eleven-year-old Ralph who served in the explosives detection unit of the Guardia Civil and in the Government. He was injured in the line of duty and lost a toe, but this does not affect him. He is a German Shepherd and is very affectionate with children and other animals.
Other dogs maybe older and have slight health problems associated with age. But nothing that prevents them from enjoying their retirement to the full! Some dogs need more experienced owners than others, and some may not be suitable for families or people with other animals. But each and every one is deserving of a nice life.
More information
Ralph is just one of these amazing heroic animals looking for a lovely home to enjoy retired life in. The “Heroes de Cuarto Patas” (Four-Legged Heroes) association is responsible for finding suitable homes for these dogs. Since they began, they have connected 400 families with as many dogs.
The process to adopt is not a quick one. It is very important for the handlers that their “colleagues” choose who they want to live with. The process begins with a pre-adoption questionnaire and, if satisfactory, is then followed up with a personal interview.
Those lucky enough to be accepted to adopt one of these four-legged heroes take on the commitment for the remainder of the dog’s life.
Promotional campaign video just launched (in Spanish) by the Heroes de Cuarto Patas
The campaign is entitled “Adopta Un Jubilado 2022” (adopt a retiree 2022)
2022 Calendar
Each year, the “Heroes de Cuarto Patas” association creates a calendar for sale. Each month features a retired dog alongside celebrities who support the cause. Some of the celebrities this year are; Ana Rosa Quintana, Betis footballer Joaquín Sánchez, journalist Juanma Castaño, Cristina Pardo, Maria Castro, Alejo Sauras, Emilio de Villota, Lorenzo Caprile, Joaquín Prat, singer Rozalén, Gonzalo Míro and Cristina Fernandez.
Rosa Chamorro of the association explains that all 12 agents featured are all adopted and happy. “
The calendar is just €10
To apply, or for more information, send an email to heroesde4patas@hotmail.com
