Not all dogs are cut out to be assistance dogs and, on occasion, PawPADs releases dogs from the program if necessary. We never know when that is going to happen and hope for very few releases.

When PawPADs releases a dog, the first option is to determine if the dog is a good candidate for placement with another working dog group such as search and rescue or drug detection. If we don’t “career change” a dog, then the dog will be made available to the general public for adoption as a family pet. We always disclose the reason for the release to the adopting organization, person or family.

The reasons for releasing, or career-changing, a dog generally fall into two categories – medical and temperament/behavior:

✫ Medical reasons: anything from allergies to varying severities of dysplasia (hip and
elbow).

✫ Behavioral reasons, for example: high activity level, incompatibility with cats or other
dogs, fear/nervousness or lack of flexibility.

Some of these dogs may not be suitable for homes with young children or other pets.

Regardless, they will be fabulous pets for homes that are looking for a canine companion and we seek to place these dogs with local (Minnesota) families. If you are interested in adopting any of these great dogs, check out the “Release Dogs Information Sheet” and “Career Change Dog Application” at the listed links.