After Long Fight, Police Dogs in Mexico No Longer Put to Sleep Upon Retirement Gardenia Mendoza - FoxNews.com
go to original January 14, 2017

Deputy Officer Jorge Luis López and Rosty (FoxNews.com/Gardenia Mendoza)

Frolicking in the Police K-9 Unit headquarters’ backyard, Rosty takes in all the love of his longtime handler and friend, Deputy Officer Jorge Luis López, unaware of his good luck: the veteran Labrador belongs to the first generation of Mexican police dogs that will not be put to sleep upon retirement.

Eleven-year-old Rosty is one of nine canines that retired last year in Mexico after a life fighting crime and whose heroism was, for the first time, recognized in a formal ceremony with honor medals and all.

“They deserve it,” said Víctor Hugo Martínez, the unit’s director, to FoxNews.com. “For almost their entire lives they’ve done nothing but serve the nation, and they’ve been the best companions.”

Up until now, Mexico’s K-9 dogs were put down at a certain age because police feared they would end in the hands of drug traffickers and criminals who could exploit their talents. The policy was finally changed at the insistence of the Mexican Dog-Lovers Federation, benefiting the nearly 200 dogs currently serving in the unit.

“If we’re careful with the adoption process, we can check out the families [looking to adopt] and make sure they can give them a good home,” said José Luis Pairo, who runs the Federacion Canofila Mexicana (FCM), the organization in charge of finding the dogs a home.

Pairo said that, once adopted, the dogs will continue to be monitored by FCM staff and the Federal Police.

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