On its rounds: A fire and rescue dog is trained to listen to its trainer and no one else.

I made a pact with my service dogs to do the right and responsible thing when the time comes, and not allow them to suffer.

MY adventures in a wheelchair took me to a most unexpected place last week – the Fire and Rescue Department’s headquarters in Putrajaya. It was my first visit to a fire station, and judging from the curious looks of the tough-looking uniformed men, I could tell that it was the first time a person in a wheelchair was visiting them.

I was there to pay my respects and offer my condolences to the Fire Department boys for having lost eight of their canine champions which were euthanised earlier this month.

The Veterinary Services Department had confirmed that the national service dogs had to be put down humanely. They could not be re-homed because of the nature of their work and government policy on the matter.

My meeting with the top brass of the department included the chief trainer of the special canines as well as the top training officer.

They warmed up to me the instant they realised I was a trainer for dogs for the disabled and the elderly. There were many common areas of understanding that we could share with each other.

I became all choked up as I heard of the incredible way in which each of the dogs was brought up by the department. They were certainly no ordinary dogs. From the moment they joined the force, they were brought up as if they were the trainer’s own children. Each dog was carefully assessed before being matched with a suitable trainer.

For the next few months, the trainers had to spend all their time with their canine partners in order to build an unbreakable bond with each other. By this time, the dog is trained to listen only to its trainer and no one else.

Like service dogs for the disabled, this trait ensures that the canine is totally focused on working with its human partner, especially in circumstances where lives depend on it. We can’t have situations where our dogs lose their concentration or get distracted by someone else’s command when they are in the midst of a rescue operation or helping a wheelchair-user to cross the road.

Thus in re-homing, getting such dogs to be “re-trained” becomes complicated. The animal may become confused, anxious, depressed and even stop eating when separated from its trainer.

Some agencies which try to provide re-homing programmes in overseas countries, do so with many support systems in place. Candidates are assessed by an animal psychologist or behaviourist, and homes and owners are scrutinised before they can qualify to be an adopter. There is usually a heavy fee associated with the retired dogs.

And not every special dog makes it. Euthanasia becomes a humane option for dogs with problems.

The fire and rescue dogs had everything: they were given the best food, medication and health checks, love, care and attention.

Their demanding exercise schedule – jumping over high fences and exploring buildings – kept them on their paws for as long as eight hours a day, to help them stay in shape and be ready for any emergencies.

Exposure to occupational hazards like thick smoke from fire and chemicals had resulted in their ill health. One of the dogs could no longer walk properly. The dogs were treated for their conditions by the best veterinarians.

One or two canines developed behavioural problems during their assignments and became skittish without their personal handlers around. Others couldn’t handle them.

It took almost half a year of treatment before the final decision to humanely put down the canines was made. It was a sad day for everyone.

I knew how the dog trainers felt because I had to put down my service dogs, too, in the wake of illness and old age. One of them had cancer, while the other two became paralysed and could not walk.

I had made a solemn pact with my service dogs that helped me understand and cope with my disability the way I do today. And that is never to lose the courage to do the right and responsible thing when the time comes, and not allow them to suffer.

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