Adopting a Release Dog

Although all of our Golden and Labrador Retrievers are carefully bred and trained to become service dogs for Veterans, not all of the dogs in the Warrior Canine Connection program will choose the path of a working dog.

When we determine there are health or temperament issues that warrant release from the Service Dog Training Program, we look for homes where our dogs will live the life of a well-loved member of the family. Priority is always given to Veterans, active-duty service members, and Gold Star Families.

Please note that Release Dogs are not available on a first-come, first-served basis. We carefully screen our potential adoptive families and base our decisions on a number of criteria, including:

• The dog must not be left alone for more than five hours per day.
• Initially, you must live within three hours of WCC HQ in Boyds, MD.
• An interview is required at our Healing Quarters in Boyds, including all members of the family who will have regular contact with the dog.
• If there are already dogs in your home, we will request that you bring them with you for a dog introduction with the Release Dog.
• You will not use the dog as a service animal.
• You assume all financial responsibility for the dog.
• For pet adoptions, we have a suggested donation from $550 to $2,000 depending on the level of training the dog has received. This will be applied to cover a small portion of the veterinary and training costs associated with raising a WCC-program dog.

If you are interested in applying to adopt one of our dogs, please complete this online application.