5 retiring police dogs now up for adoption

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) Five soon-to-be-retired police dogs are now up for adoption, the New Taipei City Police Department (NTPD) announced on Thursday.

According to the department's K-9 unit, a total of six Labrador Retrievers will retire at the end of the year.

However, the human partner of NTPD's widely-beloved Lucky Star (福星) has already made it public on social media that he will adopt the star pooch upon retirement.

The hard-working explosive-detecting canines that are up for adoption after their service comes to an end in December include Lucky Star's siblings Shiny (亮亮) and Fei Ta (飛達), alongside Alpha (首領) and Xina, as well as Yutu who is a drug-detecting dog.

Speaking with CNA, the city's K-9 unit head Ma Ching-chi (馬清基) said Labradors usually have very stable personalities and generally love people, which is why it is relatively easy for handlers to train them to become drug or explosive finders.

Moreover, unlike breeds like German Shepherds which can intimidate some people, Labradors rarely make the general public feel uneasy.

Ma added that the five retiring explosive-detecting dogs had safeguarded the perimeter of events such as National Day celebrations, Presidential inaugurations and other events involving foreign dignitaries.

Yutu's career is also decorated with discovering evidence that helped police make successful drug busts, he said.

Ma went on to explain that dogs in K-9 units usually work in their jobs for four to seven years before retirement, and the five police canines that are up for adoption have an average age of around 7 years old.

He also said that as K-9 unit members, the pups were raised to follow strict routines, so he believes the Labs will very easily become accustomed to retirement after being free from the stress brought on by work.

However, Ma also warned that he had observed that retired police pooches tend to receive too much love and attention in their new homes which could lead to them becoming overweight.

With the insatiable appetite of the breed already well-documented, Ma implores prospective adopters to refrain from overfeeding them and to get used to more active lifestyles for the sake of their four-legged family members.

The NTPD K-9 unit also said that it has held three retired K-9 adoption events since 2022.

Each of the adoption drives were met with enthusiasm, receiving over 100 applications each time.

The NTPD indicated that people interested in adopting the police dogs may download Chinese-language adoption papers via the department's Facebook page.