When police service dogs retire from active duty, there is no government financial support to cover the medical costs for the remainder of their lives.
But there is a registered charity called Ned鈥檚 Wish that helps the caregivers of retired K-9s through financial and educational support. And now, a veterinarian office in Abbotsford is working with Ned鈥檚 Wish to raise funds for their cause.
Townline Veterinary Hospital is fundraising for Ned鈥檚 Wish throughout the day on Oct. 22, and there are multiple ways to get involved.
There will be active K9 demonstrations, a photo booth offering pictures by donation with active and retired service dogs, and a chance to donate 鈥淟oonies for Love鈥� and spend time with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs. There will also be clothing and coffee to buy, photos with the AbbyPD mascot Cst. Cuffs, and a chance to microchip and register your own pet.
On average, police and military dogs retire around eight years of age, and the average life span of a police dog is between nine and 12 years. Police dogs comprise a small portion of the canine population, but the majority of their lives are spent in service to ensure the safety and well-being of others.
Retired police dogs are near the end of their lives and deserve to enjoy their remaining years, said Dr. Ken Macquisten, at Townline.
鈥淚 was astonished to learn that police dogs at the end of their career become the sole financial responsibility of their caregivers, usually the police officer who was their partner while they both put their lives on the line to serve and protect the public,鈥� said Macquisten. 鈥淲e see a lot of the Fraser Valley鈥檚 Integrated Police Service dogs in our practice, both working and retired. It feels like working on fine-tuned Ferraris, as our job is to help these high-performance canines get back on the road. But eventually, age and wear and tear catches up to them, and they are replaced with newer models.鈥�
Because the work police and military dogs do is so physically demanding, families who adopt retired police or military dogs can be left with substantial and costly health issues, he noted. The reality is that medical issues and associated costs can dictate how well, how long or even if police dogs can enjoy retirement.
To raise awareness and funds to support retired service dogs, veterinarians and staff at Townline are donating their time to run the community鈥檚 first-ever microchip implant event, Chips for Charity, outside of the veterinary hospital. Microchip implants are an important way to protect pets and can be the difference between being lost forever, or found.
A microchip is not a GPS tracking device. It鈥檚 a rice-sized, radio-frequency identification device (RFID) that contains a unique number associated with your pet. It is implanted painlessly under the skin of dog鈥檚 and cats. Once registered, it improves your pet鈥檚 chances of getting home quickly if they ever go missing.
All of the money raised will be given to Ned鈥檚 Wish, and all of it will be dedicated to support local retired police dogs.
鈥淣ed鈥檚 Wish protects the voiceless and valiant few who so selflessly protected us,鈥� said Stacey Talbot, president of Ned鈥檚 Wish. 鈥淭hese dogs are near the end of their lives and providing for their health care costs isn鈥檛 just a matter of compassion, it鈥檚 doing what鈥檚 right.鈥�
24PetWatch is donating all the microchips for the event Chips for Charity.
The Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service (IPDS) provides enhanced police service to 28 RCMP-policed communities and five cities policed by municipal police with 24-7 coverage around the Lower Mainland, including Abbotsford. IPDS is the largest in Canada and one of the largest in North America, with members attending an average of more than 10,000 calls for service per year.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 22, and the event is open to anyone who wants to attend.
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