From Fighting Crime To Sofa Time: Adopting A Retired Police Dog in Singapore

Fashion designer Max Tan has an unusual arrangement for opening his shopping parcels.

First, his dog Dodger inspects them. “Whenever my parcels come in, he needs to give them a good whiff first,” says Max. “And once it’s all clear, he’ll go back to his bed.”

Dodger used to be a narcotics detection dog. He is now retired, although nobody seems to have successfully explained that arrangement to him. His days involve walks, belly rubs and unsolicited parcel screening.

Ahead of World Adoption Day on 9 November, I met Max and Inspector (INSP) Samuel Shue at a Singapore Police Force media feature about giving retired police dogs a second home.

I was curious about life after K-9 duty. But I hadn’t expected to hear a story that reminded me so much of my own dog.

INSP Samuel Shue and his current K-9 partner Jango, a four-year old German Shepherd. | IMAGE: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

The K-9 handler who was once afraid to go to work

INSP Samuel had a practical reason for wanting to join the K-9 unit: he had an untrained dog at home. “I thought, if I join K-9 unit, I can learn the skills, then go home and train him,” he recalls.

He joined the force as a Full-Time National Serviceman in 1999 and was subsequently posted to the unit. His first canine partner was Dagger, a dog with difficult past experiences. As a result, INSP Samuel was bitten several times.

“I had phobia of handling him,” he says. “In fact, I had phobia of coming to work to see him.”

That admission hit close to home. In 2020, I adopted Oreo, a Singapore Special rescued from Jurong Island. Our beginning was rough. He bit everyone in my family and, in one traumatising incident driven by fear, he attacked me, biting my hands, arms and feet. I spent a week in the hospital. Afterwards, I was terrified. But I continued caring for him and worked on muzzle-training him despite my intense fear.

Unlike Police K-9 dogs, Oreo, the Singapore Special I adopted in 2020, was not trained. | IMAGE: SIM DING EN

So, when INSP Samuel described dreading an encounter with a dog he was responsible for, I recognised the feeling. “Slowly, I started to understand why he behaved like that,” he says. Learning what triggered Dagger helped INSP Samuel handle more difficult dogs as his career progressed.

Oreo’s story is his own, rather than an indication of what adopting a retired police dog involves. What resonated was INSP Samuel’s willingness to understand a dog he had become afraid of.

INSP Samuel and Jango: same birthday, different personalities

INSP Samuel’s current partner, Jango (a German Shepherd from the Czech Republic trained for Public Order/Public Service duties), presents a different challenge: making his handler look indecisive.

Fun fact: INSP Samuel and Jango are both Geminis. | IMAGE: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

The pair share a birthday, which INSP Samuel discovered on Jango’s name tag during a course. But the similarities apparently end there.

“My star sign is Gemini,” says INSP Samuel. “Geminis don't make very good decisions. They are very indecisive. But my dog is not, he's very focused – whether working or enjoying himself.” A respectable approach to work-life balance!

INSP Samuel describes Jango as sociable, friendly and fond of human company. That is some distance from the fearsome reputation that prompts older members of the public to announce in Hokkien, “long kao lai liao!” (“狼狗来了!” or literally, “wolf-dog coming!”), when they see a police dog on patrol.

For INSP Samuel, getting to know a dog is a little like bringing up children. You learn their characters and behaviours; they learn yours.

“All dogs behave differently,” he says.

Adopting a retired police dog: Dodger’s awkward first weeks

Max has a soft spot for senior and rescue dogs. After his first adopted police dog died earlier this year, he approached the unit again and was eventually matched with Dodger. However, their relationship didn't begin with instant devotion.

“One of the biggest challenges Dodger experienced when transitioning to a family pet is that I don’t think he knows the concept of retirement,” says Max.

Dodger was friendly with visitors, friends and family. Max, however, was initially kept at a distance. His theory? Dodger saw him as the man who took him away from his familiar home.

“It took about 3 weeks for him to realise that, hey, I’m the new handler now,” says Max, who summarises his new role as: “I take care of your meals, I walk you, I give you your belly rubs, and there’s no more work to do.”

Local fashion designer Max Tan and Dodger, a retired Police K-9 Belgian Shepherd whom he adopted earlier this year. | IMAGE: NG KAI

Dodger is now a couch potato. | IMAGE: MAX TAN

Four months into their life together at the time of our interview, Dodger had revised Max’s assessment. “He’s my walking buddy, my new buddy, and he’s literally my shadow now.”

Max describes him as a couch potato at home. He also sits close by while Max works at his computer, which is welcome company for someone who often works alone.

What life with a retired K-9 dog involves

Even a couch potato needs someone prepared to get off the couch. INSP Samuel stresses that adopters need to consider each dog’s exercise, training and living environment. Max also points to the less photogenic parts of dog ownership.

“Planning for their health care is important, and the commitment to spending time and getting into routine work with them is important,” he says.

The adoption process, he explains, involves questions about prospective adopters’ lifestyles and habits, followed by possible matches and introductions.

In his case, settling into a routine was partly a dog-led exercise. “The dogs informed me of what I should do instead of me setting a very tight routine,” he says.

Anyone whose dog has strong opinions about breakfast time will understand.

What adopting my Singapore Special taught me

Oreo and I now have a very strong bond. I still keep him separate from the rest of my family, respecting their needs alongside his.

Our life together has taught me to be more patient, loving and understanding. It has also meant accepting that a happy home needs to work for everyone in it. I'm deeply glad and grateful I didn’t give up on him.

Getting to know a dog is like bringing up a child, says INSP Samuel. | IMAGE: NG KAI

Listening to INSP Samuel and Max, I recognised the pleasure of a relationship that takes time to build: learning what unsettles a dog, finding a workable routine, and becoming someone it feels comfortable with.

For Max, that now means having Dodger quietly keeping him company while he works. And waiting, occasionally, for a retired officer to give the all-clear on his shopping packages.

Interested in adoption?

To find out more about adopting a retired police dog, visit the Police K-9 Unit adoption drive.

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