Adopting a Retired Military Dog

I see it more and more lately and I just don’t understand it. Each time there is a natural disaster people start inquiring about how they can adopt the animals that survived. Yes our hearts can go out to these animals that lived through volcano ash falling around them, tornadoes, Tsunami’s, and floods but why does everyone jump up and want to adopt them when they have no intention of going to the local shelter or looking up a breed rescue  to adopt their next pet. Why then when there is a disaster do people rush around trying to adopt these animals whether or not they are even available immediately post disaster or ever (and get despondent when they can’t adopt). The only answer that I can think of is that they want the “prestige” with being able to say Fido or Cat survived such and such disaster isn’t it amazing that we were able to offer it our home.

Yes the pictures are so heartbreaking and the animals need somewhere safe to be but for the most part their families are desperate to have them back. Plus to be honest if someone thinks a pound puppy or rescue cat is going to have too much baggage image the baggage that an animal surviving a natural disaster will bring along with it. Many people I have come into contact with who live in Japan say their animals hide under the bed and will not come out for hours sometimes after the aftershocks or earthquakes they have had since March 11th or the dog runs around in circles crying or barking unsure of what to do. So anyone who wants to adopt that lives in NYC near the subways will have an animal in constant fear because they will feel the building shake (even though we can’t). Or someone in Florida who adopts an animal survivor of a flood who refuses to leave the closet when it rains.

Its time to think of the animals that need help and figure out what kind of help they need.  I can understand the desire to cuddle them and tell them everything is going to be ok that their owners will be found and they will be reunited. I don’t understand the jumping up and down by some people who think that they would be the best home for an animal that doesn’t speak their language and would have to travel thousands of miles alone on a plane to get to get to a place that everything smells different sounds different etc.

I can look at people who want to adopt these animal (or children) as having good hearts while maybe a little misguided but I can understand wanting to give them giant hugs and telling them nothing will hurt them ever again. I get it. When I read an article recently about people calling the military in order to adopt the dog that was involved with helping to raid the Bin Laden compound I am more then a bit confused. I really don’t think I understand. The dog is currently serving in the military a highly trained animal that can serve a number of years under several military handlers the last handler in the dog’s career has the first option of adopting. Which in a lot of cases they do or they know one of the other handlers has already expressed interest in retiring the dog into their family.

Again my question is why are all of these hands being raised and telephone calls to the military being made to adopt these dogs or this one in particular? These are dogs that are used to working and having their mind stimulated and engaged. A spot on the couch and some dog treats are not going to cut it for these dogs. In order for them to stay happy they need to continue using the skills they learned during their military careers instead of doing these things in life or death situations they can be made into games but it is something that will forever have to remain in their lives. Whether that means competing  in agility on a regular basis or obedience or tracking in the backyard it means their new owners will have to make time to fit these things in on a regular basis. Most working dogs aren’t even trained in English they are trained in German, Dutch, or in some instances Hebrew. If Indiana who came to live with me as a 9 week old puppy still only listens to German commands. I know someone else who had two Malinios who only spoke Dutch their entire lives. Even though they knew my entire family they would only allow us in their yard if we told them to go lay down speaking Dutch. Are you ready to learn a whole new language to talk to your dog?

Is the idea that these dogs will protect their new family and so are therefor more valuable then the homeless dog in the local shelter that will be put own if no one adopts them? I think I need help understanding this idea.