We serve the ones that served us
Service Dogs or military dogs are deployed across the Indian Armed Forces to keep our citizens safe. From counter terrorist operations, bomb detection, drug detection to a host of other dangerous missions, these dogs play a pivotal role in helping our armed forces. At VOSD, we are grateful for the service of these retired army/military/police dogs. We help rehabilitate them so that they can live a peaceful life after their service.
Earlier, service dogs that got injured or traumatised in combat were often euthanized or abandoned in shelters without proper care. We are consistently working on ensuring that no service dog faces this fate.
We are on a mission to rescue 100+ service dogs and provide them a life of love and dignity. This year, VOSD plans to develop a new 10,000 sq. feet enclosed area within its premises, provide top-notch medical care, and create a dedicated exercise area to help give these dogs the love they rightfully deserve. Help us on this mission, by donating towards the cause or by volunteering your time.
Popular Service Dog Breeds in India
If you’re an individual with special needs, then it is wise to adopt a retired police/military dog as your service dog as they are already well-trained in assisting you. They can provide you with the love and emotional support you need to thrive every day. Here are the popular service dog breeds:
Labrador Retriever
This is a very popular dog breed as they are known to be friendly and very well-behaved. Their size and endurance come as an asset for individuals who are suffering from mobility issues or are on a wheelchair. If someone is visually impaired, they can guide him/her with precision. They are energetic, receptive to multiple commands, possess a quick-thinking nature, and can multitask quite easily.
Golden Retriever
They are gentle and have a very playful demeanour. They are mostly recommended for children with autism and adults who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD], and can prevent owners from inflicting self-harm. Golden Retrievers are mostly adopted as therapy dogs as they are highly perceptive and can detect seizures.
German Shepherd
The ideal army dog for adoption, German Shepherds are intelligent, and have good stamina and leadership qualities. They are extremely loyal to their owner and quite focused (as they aren’t easily distracted by external stimuli). Being huge in size with massive strength, they can easily provide support and stability to anyone and are ideal companions for individuals suffering from panic attacks, anxiety, or OCD.
Patriot or Service Dogs: Your Questions Answered
What’s the difference between service dogs and therapy dogs?
Though both terms are used interchangeably, they are quite different. The term ‘therapy dogs’ is used for dogs that specialise in providing emotional support and alleviating stress from an individual’s minds in hospitals, schools, old age homes, etc. They can treat multiple people at any given instance.
On the contrary, the term ‘Service dogs’ is used to represent dogs who are trained in specific tasks such as providing mobility support, assisting deaf and blind individuals, detecting seizures, etc. Unlike therapy dogs, they can’t cater to multiple individuals at a time.
Is VOSD the right place for rehabilitating retired service dogs?
We take in all retired patriot dogs and service dogs at zero cost and give them the life, love, and medical assistance they truly deserve after serving the nation in their prime. We have a no-kill policy and ensure we do all that we can to get injured or abandoned patriot dogs back to their best health.
How can you surrender a patriot dog to VOSD?
Surrendering a retired patriot dog to VOSD is easy, and to initiate the process, you can write to info@vosd.in. For more information, please check out our surrender process.
We have a strict surrendering policy, and we therefore always urge interested parties to look for potential new owners who are eager to adopt a military dog or are looking for army dogs for adoption. However if there are no interested parties, we take care of rehabilitating the dog at our sanctuary. We provide them a home for life.
How can you help us?
At VOSD, we are currently trying to include more patriot dogs and service dogs in our sanctuary to give them a home for life. You can help us on our mission by donating towards the cause or volunteering your time. All donations made in INR receive 80 G Tax exemption and can be paid via PayPal, credit card, debit card, or UPI.
