Rescue options
For people who are looking for a well-trained dog, there are other rescue options. Organizations that train detection dogs, service dogs, search and rescue dogs and even movie dogs, they put up their dogs for adoption when they retire or cannot complete the training. There are some retired dogs who simply decide that theyre no longer interested in working, or they have lived and worked with a handler for anywhere from 1 to 10 years, and are retired because of medical reasons or because of age. If a dog doesnt make it through training, it doesnt mean he is bad—he just wasnt determined to make it in the work environment. He may not have liked the kennel work environment, or was more interested in playing outside rather than guiding a blind person. Fewer than 25 percent of dogs make it through any training program, because the standards for working dogs are extremely high, and there are many dogs who are bred and recruited for work.
The good thing for adopters of these dogs is that they are highly trained and have excellent manners, they can also sit and stay, stay down for long periods, are highly intelligent, are housetrained and cratertrained, and they have been properly socialized, so they know how to act with large crowds of people and with other animals. Most of the time, these organizations have long waiting lists of people who are interested in adopting one of their retirees.
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