The dog was only 6-yo, not like they were whipping along some old man.
Ever been around dogs? They love doing what they're trained for. Had he been forcibly retired, he would have been devastated.
The caps are almost certainly way cheaper than purchasing a new dog. Last I heard, trained Germans Shepherds were going for $10,000, and that was 30-years ago.
My town has a golden retriever. He's basically just a mascot, he goes around with one of the school resource officers, helps police engage with young people in the community. I know this is not exactly what you're referring to.
There should be a program to retire trained service animals that are too old to keep to go to like...veterans with a high-activity lifestyle or something idk. Or even like a retirement home for service animals where they can live out the rest of their days feeling challenged and engaged
They are good dogs, highly trained, very obedient, and quite intelligent. Probably smarter than most the cops they get paired with. They just need to stay active or they get really depressed.