True and noble friends!

[Tez3]

I was reading the Sunday papers curled up on the settee in front of the log fire and read this. I thought I've got to find this online and share with you lot!! I don't though understand the comments made by the public at the end of the article as the dogs always come back here and are rehomed usually with their present or a past handler. We use the same dogs, PAT dogs (Patrol Arm True) and all of ours have been rehomed if fit. My heart goes out to the family of the American handler and his dog though.

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages...ews.html?in_article_id=504161&in_page_id=1770

 

[Rich Parsons]

A well trained "WORK" Dog is a great thing. They love their work and enjoy performing it. Those trained for combat are trained differently then those for serach, where one should not go pawing around and things.

I have a friend who as a K-9 Officer partner and the dog is a great dog. My friend who is an officer takes care of him and goes to the training with him and they work together as a team.

I support these teams. They do good work.

 

[Kacey]

Dogs are wonderful companions in addition to having great skills that can be used to help their people - it's too bad the attack dogs don't get to enjoy the same retirement as the sniffer dogs. But overall, it's a great article - thanks so much for sharing!

 

[Tez3]

Dogs are wonderful companions in addition to having great skills that can be used to help their people - it's too bad the attack dogs don't get to enjoy the same retirement as the sniffer dogs. But overall, it's a great article - thanks so much for sharing!

A very few of the attack dogs do go and live with their handlers, many are rottweilers though and for some reason they seem to be shortlived anyway even civvie ones.The ones we've had don't get retired until they really can't manage comfortably,it depends on the temperament I suppose, they wouldn't be happy being cooped up. My shift partner used to be a dog handler and has his old dog Bully living with him ( he lives alone though, no kids or pets), he has to be kenneled outside though as he's not house trained. Stew is very careful about where he walks him too.

 

[Rich Parsons]

A very few of the attack dogs do go and live with their handlers, many are rottweilers though and for some reason they seem to be shortlived anyway even civvie ones.The ones we've had don't get retired until they really can't manage comfortably,it depends on the temperament I suppose, they wouldn't be happy being cooped up. My shift partner used to be a dog handler and has his old dog Bully living with him ( he lives alone though, no kids or pets), he has to be kenneled outside though as he's not house trained. Stew is very careful about where he walks him too.

On the street I grew up on, in the 70's, a neighbor had a Dobberman from his time in Nam. The dog was not friendly to anyone on the street. He kept it in a kennel when outside except the kennel had to have a chain link roof as the dog could climb fences. I had my run ins with him when he would get away from the handlers wife and run free. But before any serious action could be taken by the neighbors the dog was too old and in too much pain. I just did not want to get bit by him. He was a very mean dog who did not like kids on bikes.

But I think they tried to do what was best and let him come home with his handler/partner and live out his life.

 

[tellner]

Someone very wise said "If there is a heaven it will be inhabited by most dogs and very few of their owners."

It's a shame about the attack-trained dogs. There are a few saintly people like the Monks of New Skete who can recondition them to be safe around people. But it's long, hard and doesn't always work. And from what I've been told the dogs are never quite the same afterwards. You can't really blame the military for putting them down. A large dog without inhibitions towards killing is just too dangerous.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Yeah--Basically a gun with a mind of its own, once its "trigger" is tripped.