As a U.S. Army infantryman in Iraq, Danny Scheurer was in constant danger. For almost every move Scheurer made in the field, a German Shepherd Dog was nearby. A specially trained military K-9 gave Scheurer confidence each time he went out on patrol that he would return.

“Before I’d ever go into a building, a K-9 would search it,” Scheurer says. “He would check vehicles, too, before we’d go in, and he’d find explosives and residue that we could not have possibly found ourselves.”

Discharged from the Army in 2006 due to injuries sustained in Iraq, Scheurer spent most of his 11 years of military service, including four years in the Marine Corps, deployed in the Middle East. The fact that he is alive he attributes to the protection he received from military working dogs.

Now Scheurer is on a different kind of mission. As the founder of Save-A-Vet in Lindenhurst, Ill., Scheurer is working to develop a special program for retired military working dogs, or K-9s, that are not suitable for placement into pet homes or are not readily adopted. He, along with more than 170 volunteers, envisions building environmentally sustainable retirement homes where military and law enforcement veterans could live in exchange for caring for retired military K-9s.

“We just want to give the dogs a home where they can live out their days as happy, healthy retired veterans,” Scheurer says. “They deserve that.”

Debbie Kandoll shares Scheurer’s passion for retired military dogs. The wife of a retired Air Force Reserve officer, Kandoll, who now lives in Alamo­gordo, N.M., founded Military Working Dog Adopt­ions (MWDA) to help educate the public about retired military dogs suitable for pet adoptions.

“We have a slogan on our Web site that says, ‘Many soldiers have their todays and tomorrows because of what a military working dog did for them yesterday,’” Kandoll says. “These dogs have saved thousands and thousands of lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. I just want to make their last years comfortable. I want to give them what they need.”

Obstacles Kandoll faced in adopting an Air Force German Shepherd Dog named “Benny” prompted her to found MWDA in March 2008. “Even though I was somewhat familiar with military procedures, I had difficulty getting Benny here,” she says. “Though the effort was at times slow and tedious, it was definitely worth it. Benny has changed my life and given me a focus on helping connect others with these wonderful dogs.”

Kandoll has helped facilitate the adoption of 18 retired military K-9s. In one memorable case Kandoll helped a former Navy handler rescue a retired military working dog named “Dexter.” Deemed a canine hero, the German Shepherd Dog was credited with saving as many as 1,000 soldiers’ lives after detecting an explosives-laden garbage truck bound for a military mess hall.

Dexter was 10 years old when he was released from military service, but he had been relieved from duty two years earlier due to a hip injury. Dexter’s military stint included six years in Iraq, which is where Kathleen Ellison, the Navy handler, worked with him. Stationed in Afghanistan, Ellison could do little to help her former partner, who was sent to his home base in Italy and scheduled for euthanasia. Ellison’s heartfelt dedication to the shepherd led to a much different outcome.

Believing that Dexter deserved more, Ellison sought help from Kandoll in finding a suitable temporary home in the states for the dog until she could return from overseas duty. Kandoll got busy, working through her military contacts, to secure Dexter’s safe return to the United States. She then turned to Scheurer to help find a suitable short-term home for the shepherd.

More than $1,000 later, Dexter was shipped in a travel crate in the cargo compartment of a commercial flight from Italy to Illinois. “Once a dog is retired by the military, he is no longer classified a solider and thus does not qualify to fly on regular military flights,” Kandoll explains.

When Dexter arrived home accompanied by Ellison, who was on two weeks’ leave from duty in Afghanistan, Scheurer and members of the Save-A-Vet board of directors greeted them at the airport. One of the board members, Ed Davis, would take Dexter to await Ellison’s final return from deployment.

Since then, Dexter has become the first K-9 card-holding member of the Fox Lake (Ill.) American Legion Post 703, where he occasionally visits. Dexter also is a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Highly Trained Canines
Military working dogs first served the U.S. military in World War I. More than 30 breeds were used in the early years. Today, German Shepherd Dogs and Belgian Malinois — highly versatile, athletic and trainable dogs — are the most common breeds. Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio is where most military dogs are trained, with as many as 250 dogs in training at any time.

Typically, dogs are retired from military service at 6 to 8 years of age, Scheurer says. Those that are not well-suited to the work and do not complete training as bomb and drug detection specialists are released when they are from 2 to 4 years old. In addition to U.S. military facilities worldwide that can adopt out retired military working dogs, Lackland posts an online list of dogs available for adoption at its location. Kandoll aims to make people aware that retired military dogs are available for adoption. She also wants to educate potential adopters about the process and what to expect from a retired military dog. She speaks from experience, having adopted Benny, who today travels the country with her as she gives talks about retired military K-9s. A certified therapy dog, Benny also frequents nursing homes, Veterans Affairs hospitals and soldiers supported by the Wounded Warriors Project.

“Benny is an excellent ambassador for Military Working Dog Adoptions,” Kandoll says. “He’s amazing, the most friendly German Shepherd Dog I’ve ever had — and I’ve had seven. They’ve not all been military working dogs. Benny is my first.”

Each retired K-9 must pass a suitability test given by military dog handlers before being considered for pet adoption. Scheurer hopes that the Save-A-Vet retirement homes will enable dogs that do not pass the suitability test and those not readily adopted to naturally live out their lives. “We want the retirement homes to have enough land for the dogs to run, swim and enjoy the rest of their lives,” he says. “The goal is to give the dogs a healthy environment where they can live happily.”

The future is beginning to take shape. “We’re drafting blueprints for the retirement sites,” says Scheurer, “and working to meet standards set by the Department of Defense. We are exploring the possibility of using geothermal heating and cooling, solar and wind energy, and gray water — reused water from baths, showers and washing machines — for landscaping.”

Establishing the program requires time, money and land. “We’re getting a lot of help from the Air Force, and we’ve been invited to meet with military officials at Lackland Air Force Base,” Scheurer says.

“We want to include K-9s from border patrol units, police departments and prisons,” he adds. “We’ll work with any group that no longer needs its trained K-9s.”

The first Save-A-Vet facility will likely be built in Illinois. The long-term goal is to build a retirement site in every state, Scheurer says.

Kandoll, too, has goals. Transportation is a big concern since retired military K-9s do not qualify for regular military flights.

“It costs $500 to $2,000 per dog to ship them back to the United States,” says Kandoll. “We paid $1,935 to have one dog sent from Korea, and more than $500 for a dog sent from Hawaii.”

Modifying military regulations so the dogs stationed overseas can be flown back to the United States when they are discharged would help. “This would be a huge financial savings that could lead to the rescue of more dogs,” Kandoll says.

Both Save-A-Vet and Military Working Dog Adoptions face a slow process in helping retired military K-9s, but rewards come, too. Their names are Dexter, Benny and the other dogs they’ve already helped. ©

Learning More
For more information about Save-A-Vet, please visit http://www.saveavet.org or http://www.save-a-vet.org. To learn more about Military Working Dog Adoptions, please visit http://www.militaryworkingdogadoptions.com.