Five police dogs, which would soon to be retired, are up for adoption, the New Taipei City Police Department announced on Thursday.
Six Labrador retrievers are to retire at the end of this year, the department’s K-9 unit said.
However, the human partner of the department’s popular Lucky Star (福星) has already announced on social media that he would adopt the star pooch upon retirement.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Police Department
The hardworking canines that are up for adoption include Lucky Star’s siblings Shiny (亮亮) and Fei Ta (飛達), alongside Alpha (首領) and Xina, as well as Yutu, a drug-detecting dog.
K-9 unit head Ma Ching-chi (馬清基) said Labradors usually have very stable personalities and love people, which is why it is relatively easy for handlers to train them to become drug or explosives finders.
Moreover, unlike breeds like German shepherds which can intimidate some people, Labradors rarely make people feel uneasy, he said.
Five retiring explosive-detecting dogs had safeguarded the perimeter of events such as Double Ten National Day celebrations, presidential inaugurations and foreign dignitaries’ visits, he added.
Yutu’s career is also decorated with discovering evidence that helped police make successful drug busts, he said.
Dogs in K-9 units usually serve for four to seven years, and the five police canines are on average about seven years old, he said.
Ma said the pups were raised to follow strict routines, so he believed they would easily adapt to the retirement and being free from work stress.
However, Ma said he had observed that retired police pooches often receive too much love and attention in their new homes which could lead to them becoming overweight.
Prospective adopters should keep in mind the breed’s insatiable appetite and refrain from overfeeding the dogs, he said, adding that they should provide the dogs with active lifestyles for the sake of their four-legged family members.
The unit said it has held three retired K-9 adoption events since 2022.
Each of the adoption drives were met with enthusiasm, receiving more than 100 applications each time, it said.
People interested in adopting the police dogs can download Chinese-language adoption papers via the department’s Facebook page, it added.
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