All Singaporeans who live in HDB flats can now adopt retired sniffer dogs under a one-year pilot expansion of Project ADORE.

The programme will kick off from Wednesday, August 15, according to a joint release from the Home Affairs, Defence and National Development ministries on Monday, August 13.

Sniffer dogs are used as a resource by the police or military to conduct drug raids and find hidden contraband, among many other uses.

They are trained to search various places for substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, missing criminals and even dead bodies.

14 sniffer dogs already rehomed

The retired dogs are from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) K-9 units, as well as the SAF Military Working Dog Unit (MWDU).

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Already, 14 of them have found permanent homes under a previous year-long pilot launched in June 2017 that allowed handlers who live in HDB flats to adopt the retired dogs the worked with.

With this latest expansion of the project, the pool of potential adopters will certainly be much larger.

What is Project ADORE?

Project ADORE (ADOption and REhoming of dogs) is a special initiative launched in 2012 that gives local mongrels or "Singapore Specials" a chance at being adopted into families who live in HDB flats.

It allows HDB dwellers to adopt larger dogs that do not fit into AVA's criteria for "HDB-approved" dogs.

The initiative was also launched to assess the acceptance of larger, mixed-breed dogs — up to 15kg in weight and 50cm in height — in HDB estates with proper safeguards in place.

So far, the scheme has been well received.

The press release said:

"Observations have shown that residents have been receptive to the presence of larger dog breeds in their neighbourhoods as long as the owners behaved responsibly and if there were proper channels in place for dispute mediation."

Things for potential adopters to take note of

Potential adopters will first be screened for their suitability. 

The dogs must also be microchipped, in the event an adopter tries to abandon it.

The press release said potential adopters will also have to comply with the ownership conditions and the Code of Responsible Behaviour as dictated by the Ministry of National Development.

The respective K-9 and MWDU units will additionally continue to manage post-adoption feedback.

If you're interested, stay tuned to MINDEF's Facebook page for updates on future MWDU adoption drives.

Top image adapted via MINDEF/FB & MHA Singapore/YT