People Can Now Adopt Dogs Who Failed Government Training For Being Too Friendly

For people who’d like to adopt a German Shorthaired Pointer, a German Shepherd, a Labrador Retriever, or a Belgian Malinois, they can now choose from beautiful puppies who are just too nice and carefree to pass the training for government work. The Transportation Security Administration has organized an adoption program to find lovely homes for the energetic and adorable training ‘dropouts’.

The complete list of minimum requirements that are needed for submitting an adoption application can be viewed on the TSA website. Some of the requirements are having no plans of moving within the next six months, having a yard that’s completely fenced, and being able to provide the dog training, exercise, proper medical care, and love. Approved applicants will be asked to travel to San Antonio, Texas twice. The first purpose of the first visit is to meet the dogs while the second one is to take the pet home.

To read more on this story, click here: People Can Now Adopt Dogs Who Failed Government Training For Being Too Friendly

Veteran with PTSD Reunited with Military Bomb-Sniffing Dog Partner

Lance Cpl. David Pond and his military working dog, Pablo, were split up when Pond's service ended in 2011. The Marine went home to Colorado, and the dog moved on to stateside assignments.

This was tough on the military veteran who spent seven months in Afghanistan with his military bomb-sniffing dog partner searching for and finding bombs that could take out a platoon.

During that time together, Pond and Pablo survived a number of combat patrols and over 30 firefights.

But now, they were separated and the Marine didn't know if he would ever be reunited with his military dog.

"He was my rock, my foundation," Pond, 27, said of the Belgian Malinois who became his best friend and protector. "He saved my life more than once."

Veteran Faces New Battle at Home

After Lance Cpl. David Pond returned to the U.S., not only did he have to deal with being separated from his military dog, but he was also taking on a new battle.

The Marine veteran was diagnosed with PTSD and also dealing with a traumatic brain injury. It was at this time that Pond made up his mind. He was going to find and reunite with Pablo.

Unlike many veterans who return home and do not get a second chance to be with the military working dog they served with overseas, Pond's story does have a happy ending.

But it wasn't an easy journey. It took four years to reunite with his military dog. The Marine veteran wrote countless letters to politicians, started an online petition and had to cut through a lot of red tape.

In the end, it was well worth it as Lance Cpl. David Pond and Pablo now spend the days together in a much more peaceful manner than they did in Afghanistan.

To learn more about the Marine veteran with PTSD reuniting with his military dog, watch the NBC News video below:

Every Single K9 in the Norfolk, Virginia’s PD Will Be Getting a Lifesaving Ballistic Vest: Thanks to a Donation from Anderson Cooper

On Monday January 11, 2016 the Norfolk, Virginia police department lost one of its bravest members, a K9 named Krijger. The pup was a four-year-old Belgian Malinois. The brave canine officer died during a shootout after officers responded to a domestic violence call.

According to Pilot Online, those close to the pup say that he would have survived had he been wearing a ballistic vest.

These vests are expensive, each one costing roughly $2,200, and most police departments cannot afford them. But, thanks to one very kind, and very famous, good Samaritan, every single dog in the Norfolk PD is about to get one.

Who’s the good Samaritan in question? Anderson Cooper.

The CNN news anchor donated the funds via the Virginia based charity Spike’s K9 Fund. Cooper had previously interviewed the charity’s founder, retired SEAL Jimmy Hatch, in 2015 and the two have stayed in contact.

Hatch announced the donation on Spike’s K9 Fund’s website:

We are humbled to announce that Anderson Cooper has donated his speaking fee for his upcoming “Norfolk Forum” speech (26 January) to Spike’s K9 Fund for the K9 Krijger Ballistic Vest Campaign. His donation was quite generous. All of the Norfolk K9’s will be outfitted and we will start outfitting K9’s from other cities in Hampton Roads with the remainder.

Dogs love us unconditionally and, every day, many of them selflessly risk their lives to protect us. Anderson Cooper did a beautiful thing by donating this money and making sure that they are protected when they put their lives on the line.

You can watch a local news report about Krijger below:

If you would like to help other canine officers obtain a lifesaving ballistic vest, you can donate funds in Krijger’s memory via Spike’sK9 Fund.

Unfortunately, Police Dog Work Can Sometimes Be Deadly: The Surprising Reason More Police Dogs Are Dying in the Line of Duty

By all accounts, Wednesday's encounter between French police and a group of suspected terrorists in the Paris suburbs was an incredibly violent one: 5,000 bullets fired, dozens of grenades thrown, bodies so damaged that at first authorities were unable to say how many people had been killed.

So it's somewhat remarkable that there was only one fatality on the police side of the showdown: Diesel, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois police dog who was sent into the apartment at one point to check for survivors. The dog was killed when one of the people in the apartment detonated a suicide vest.

Diesel's death sparked a popular hashtag and an outpouring of respect and grief on social media. And it highlighted the role specially trained dogs play in often dangerous law enforcement situations in France, as well as right here in the United States.

It's unclear exactly how many police dogs are active in the United States. Jim Watson, director of the North American Police Work Dog Association, gave a "wild guess" of around 50,000 dogs in 2010. The dogs are deployed to various domestic law enforcement agencies, doing everything from bomb- and drug-sniffing to chasing down suspected criminals.

And, unfortunately, police dog work can sometimes be deadly. The Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks police fatalities in the line of duty, includes numbers on police dog fatalities as well. Their numbers show that in 2015 so far, 26 police dogs have been killed in the line of duty — a number that's up sharply over the previous two years.

In the most recent incident they've tracked, a dog named Hyco with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina was shot and killed while chasing a group of suspected carjackers. In September, a police dog named Ike in Washington state was stabbed multiple times while attempting to subdue a suspect and had to be euthanized due to the extent of his injuries.

But while a number of dogs have died at the hands of a suspected criminal this year, the ODMP's numbers show that canine officers face an even bigger threat: heat exhaustion, particularly from being left in a squad car on a hot day.

This year alone at least 11 dogs died from heat exhaustion, according to the ODMP. In August, two dogs with the Baltimore City Detention Center died when the air conditioning failed in a vehicle they were in. In Florida, an officer was suspended without pay in May when he inadvertently left two police dogs in a car at his home.

The heat deaths "happen at a pretty alarming rate," said Steve Weiss, an NYPD lieutenant who serves as ODMP's Director of Research. "I was surprised by how often it happens."

Weiss says that many K9 unit vehicles are now being outfitted with electronic systems that automatically regulate heat and humidity. Some systems can alert remote officers if the AC fails or the temperature gets too high, and allow them to immediately pop the trunk or doors to allow dogs to escape. More widespread adoption of these systems would cut down on the heat exhaustion deaths, according to Weiss.

Weiss says better laws protecting police dogs would help too. "The laws in many states involving the deaths of police animals are not very strict," he said. "Every state is different."

The Poughkeepsie Police Department is Adding a New Member to Its K9 Team: A Pit Bull, Named Kiah

The Poughkeepsie Police Department (located approximately 85 miles outside of New York City) is adding a new member to its K9 team – a dog named Kiah.

But what makes this canine so special is the breed. While must dogs that join the police force are German shepherds and Belgian malinois to chase suspects and sniff out drugs, or beagles and bloodhounds to track scents, this police department decided to welcome a pit bull to the team.

Kiah (pronounced KY’-uh) will be used to sniff out drugs and find missing people. It is reported that she is also an ambassador for her breed and police.

“The breed isn’t important,” Brad Croft, a dog trainer for law enforcement agencies and the military, told The AP.  “It’s what’s inside of the dog that’s important.”

Croft rescued the dog from a Texas animal shelter after her previous owner was arrested for animal cruelty. In partnership with Croft’s company San Antonio-based Universal K9, an Austin animal shelter and Animal Farm Foundation, a sanctuary in New York, Kiah was provided to the police department free of charge (often K9-trained dogs can cost up to $15,000.)

Croft told the AP he often looks for dogs in shelter to train for police departments and chose Kiah after a staff member “recognized something special in the dog.”

The dog’s human partner is Officer Justin Bruzgul, who told the AP, “She wants to work. She’s high-energy. Affectionate. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

While often pit bulls get bad raps, they are also known to be very sweet, loyal and eager to please. George Carlson, the Ulster County sheriff’s deputy who trained Kiah in Stone Ridge, N.Y. told the outlet he believes she is the only pit bull on the East Cost working for a police department and is a sweetheart. He added,  “Dogs are individuals. They have their own personalities, just like people.”

America’s Most Elite Dog: Enter the World of Military Dogs and Their Handlers (Video)

In this video, we get a backstage pass into the world of military dogs and their handlers, and what difficulties they must face together. From overseas in Afghanistan to the streets of America’s biggest cities, these working dogs serve our country with all of their heart.

it’s worth every minute of your time. Armed with an incredible sense of smell, combined with a work ethic that cannot be compared, these determined dogs have saved countless lives across the world.

Loyal Police Dog Being Treated Inhumanely On Chief’s Orders

It’s bad enough that we are constantly bombarded with tragic stories about police killing friendly family pets for often no reason at all, and it’s just as sad to learn that police aren’t even treating their own K-9s well.  Jack is a Belgian Malinois police dog who has been forced to live in a squalid cement pen for the last two weeks.  Why?  Apparently because his partner decided to take a promotion with the sheriff’s department.

To read more on this story, click here: Loyal Police Dog Being Treated Inhumanely On Chief’s Orders

Meet the Secret Service Dogs Who Took Down White House Fence Jumper

The Secret Service dogs that tussled with a White House fence jumper, including one dog that was violently kicked by the suspect, are recovering today, officials said.

The canines, named Hurricane and Jordan, were taken to a veterinarian after the attack and treated for minor bruising. Both were cleared to return to duty.

To read more on this story, click here: Meet the Secret Service Dogs Who Took Down White House Fence Jumper