It's that time of the year again.

The Singapore Armed Forces Military Working Dog Unit (SAF MDWU) is putting 11 retired veteran military working dogs up for adoption.

Every year, about 10 to 12 of them retire from service due to old age or health issues.

And after having spent their time as SAF guard dogs or sniffers protecting the public, the time has come for them to take a well-deserved break.

The unit's annual adoption drive hopes to find these dogs a loving home to spend the rest of their lives in.

Dogs that are not adopted will continue to receive love and full medical care in the MWDU.

Up for adoption

These are the dogs that are up for adoption.

All of these dogs have had basic obedience training.

They also go through regular health checks by in-house vets, annual vaccinations, as well as a heartworm and parasite prevention programme.

You can call 6424 6623 (9am to 5pm on weekdays) to find out more. This adoption drive will end on May 4, 2018. A visit will be arranged to view and select a dog, as well as to ascertain if you and your home are suitable for him or her.

This is the full Facebook post by MINDEF:

HDB regulations

It should be established first that these dogs are not within the list of HDB-approved breeds.

These retired dogs can only be re-homed in private properties.

However, dog handlers who may be HDB dwellers are permitted to adopt their retired service dogs — and this exception applies to dog handlers who served with the Singapore Police Force, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) K-9 unit and the SAF MWDU.

This was part of a one-year pilot expansion of Project ADORE, launched in 2012 to assess the acceptance of mixed-breed dogs in HDB estates.

Currently, this project applies only to sniffer dog breeds (e.g. Labradors, English Springers, Cocker Spaniels etc.).

The Ministry of National Development will review the pilot expansion again sometime this year to assess whether to extend it to other types of service dogs.

Top photo from MINDEF Facebook page

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