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Retired Police & Army K9s | #PatriotDogs

They served the nation. Now, they need us.

Impact

Retired service canines receive expert medical care, specialized geriatric support, balanced senior nutrition, rehabilitation, and lifelong protection at VOSD Sanctuary, where they can recover, age with dignity, and enjoy the peaceful retirement they have earned.
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Summary

Help VOSD support retired police, army, and paramilitary K9s who gave their lives to duty and now face old age without a government pension or retirement plan. For years, India’s #PatriotDogs tracked criminals, sniffed out explosives, guarded borders, and stood by our forces through thick and thin. Now retired, these K9 veterans deserve more than just a footnote, they deserve a lifelong home.

Backed by icons like Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Rahul Dravid, Soha Ali Khan, Boman Irani, and Ashwini Ponnappa, join us in funding the lifelong care of India’s bravest four-legged soldiers.

Story

Who are the #PATRIOTDOGS?

Thousands of service canines, predominantly German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Labradors, are inducted into the Indian Army, State Police forces (including Karnataka and Kerala Police), the Railway Protection Force (RPF), and paramilitary units when they are barely a few months old. For the next 8 to 10 years, they stand on the frontlines tracking insurgents, sniffing out explosives, and managing dangerous operations under intense operational stress.

When their shift ends permanently, the brutal truth is the government has no structured retirement plan for them.

Historically, military and police working dogs faced execution via euthanasia at the end of their service life. While judicial interventions put a vital stop to that dark practice, it left behind a structural vacuum. Active-duty handlers work grueling schedules and live in barracks; they have neither the financial resources, the space, nor the time to care for an aging, disabled dog. There is no pension, no medical allowance, and no institutional safety net.

At VOSD, a service dog is not abandoned after active duty ends. A #PatriotDog is supported lifelong.

Rakesh Shukla
“These dogs serve our country all their lives, and deserve a happy retirement. When a service dog’s uniform comes off, they are often broken down, stiff-jointed, in pain, and discarded with nowhere to go. The government has no structured retirement plan for them. At VOSD, we take in retired canines from state police lines, the RPF, CISF, and military formations. VOSD stays with the service dog after retirement. That is what your support funds.”
Rakesh Shukla, Founder, VOSD Trust

Retirement Is Not the End of Care

A dog who completes active duty has already passed through years of high-impact service. But retirement can be painful, broken, and expensive.
Years of pounding across hard terrain, high-impact jumps, explosive detection work, and unrelenting operational stress take a severe physical toll. Most German Shepherds and service K9s that come to VOSD arrive in appalling health-wise condition.

After their active service stage, the dog may still need:

  • Specialized senior nutrition and dietary rebuilding
  • Management for severe, crippling osteoarthritis and degenerative joint diseases
  • Pain management and spine/nerve injury care
  • Follow-up diagnostics and organ strain monitoring (liver, cardiac, and kidney support)
  • Safe, spacious, temperature-controlled retirement enclosures
  • Rehydration and supportive care where needed
  • Veterinary review for chronic joint and mobility decline
  • Long-term monitoring for frailty, stiffness, or repeated age-related medical episodes

Broken Bodies, Shattered Joints: The State They Arrive In

Service retirement is serious because it can leave a dog with ongoing physical vulnerabilities, especially when active-duty work was rigorous, treatment for injuries was delayed, or the dog is old, stiff-jointed, and worn out.

  • Severe Osteoarthritis & Joint Decline: Crippling degenerative joint diseases and chronic stiffness that make normal movement painful.
  • Spine & Nerve Injuries: Physical trauma from years of high-impact deployment and tactical work.
  • Chronic Organ Strain: Failing livers, cardiac stress, and renal issues resulting from years of operational strain.
  • Psychological Trauma: Decades of high-stress deployment suddenly replaced by the need for calm, safe retirement space.
  • Higher Risk in Worn-Out Working Dogs: Cumulative trauma from years of demanding service, hard terrain, and inadequate post-career transition options.
  • Absence of State Pensions: Unlike human personnel, service animals do not receive a pension, medical insurance, or institutional retirement facilities once they are decommissioned.
  • Unsuitability for Standard Pet Adoption: Nobody stands in line to adopt a broken, 10-year-old retired police German Shepherd with severe joint issues. If VOSD doesn’t take them, they have nowhere left to go.

VOSD Lifecare Model for #PatriotDogs

VOSD is India’s largest and most advanced canine welfare institution, operating across pan-India rescue and rehabilitation, the world’s largest no-kill dog sanctuary, and India’s largest referral hospital for dogs. For retired service dogs, VOSD provides a system that goes beyond basic shelter.

1. Medical Review and Geriatric Follow-Up

Retired service dogs may need repeated review for mobility, pain management, organ function, weight, and joint recovery.

2. VOSD Referral Hospital Support

The 10,000+ sq. ft. VOSD Referral Hospital at the Sanctuary supports dogs who need advanced diagnostics, inpatient care, surgeries, and continued medical treatment.

3. Purpose-Built Sanctuary Infrastructure

Specialized spacious enclosures designed to accommodate the heavy frames and physical requirements of senior working breeds, complete with temperature control and open-air access.

4. Senior Nutrition Rebuilding

Many retired service dogs need carefully managed feeding, joint supplements where clinically appropriate, weight monitoring, and support through mobility decline.

5. Caregiver-Led Monitoring

A caregiver may notice what a casual observer misses: stiffness, poor appetite, pain, weakness, or relapse in mobility.

6. Long-Term Lifecare for Life

VOSD operates under a strict no-kill policy. No service dog is ever turned away or put down due to age, cost, or medical complexity. Every dog lives out their natural life in absolute dignity.

State-of-the-art medical and intensive care equipment at the VOSD Referral Hospital.
Our 10,000+ sq. ft. in-house hospital provides uninterrupted geriatric care, complex surgeries, and lifelong pain management for our #PatriotDogs.

DID YOU KNOW?
The #PatriotDogs mission is a collective national duty. Over the years, prominent voices across sports, cinema, and culture have thrown their weight behind VOSD to champion these four-legged veterans, including cricket legends like Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, and Chris Gayle, and cinematic icons like Boman Irani, Nana Patekar, and Soha Ali Khan.

Boman Irani
“I’ve always been a dog lover, and I think this cause is extremely important. These #PatriotDogs serve our country all their lives and deserve a happy retirement.”
Boman Irani, Actor & VOSD Supporter

What Your Donation Supports

Your support directly funds the essential lifecare elements that retired service dogs need to live out their sunset years in comfort:

Geriatric Medical Care & Pain Management: Joint supplements, pain relief, medicines, veterinary interventions, and mobility support.

  • Diagnostics & Follow-Up: Blood tests, X-rays, ultrasound, organ monitoring, and veterinary reviews.
  • Sanctuary Housing & Enclosures: Spacious, weather-appropriate, secure retirement enclosures designed for large working breeds.
  • Senior Nutrition & Feeding: Digestible senior food, feeding support, and weight-recovery monitoring.
  • Specialized Rehabilitation & Therapy: Treatments for osteoarthritis, spine injuries, and physical rehabilitation.
  • Caregiver Manpower: The daily human work of feeding, cleaning, observing, medicating, and comforting retiring heroes.

Give by Impact Area

  • ₹1,000 – Support Sanctuary Basics: Help with food, cleaning, medicines, and daily consumables for a retired service dog.
  • ₹2,500 – Support Senior Nutrition & Joint Care: Help a retired service dog manage joint pain and maintain strength.
  • ₹5,000 – Support Diagnostics & Veterinary Review: Contribute to bloodwork, X-rays, organ checks, and medical evaluations.
  • ₹10,000 – Support a High-Need Veteran: Help fund complex medical treatment for a retired service dog with severe injuries or organ strain.
  • ₹25,000 – Support Specialized Enclosure Maintenance: Help maintain safe, comfortable retirement spaces for heavy-duty working breeds.
  • ₹50,000+ – Become a #PatriotDogs Lifecare Patron: Support the broader medical and sanctuary ecosystem for retired service K9s.

The #PatriotDogs Campaign in the Media

  1. Deccan Chronicle ↗
  2. Times of India ↗
  3. The New Indian Express (Bengaluru) ↗
  4. The New Indian Express (Chennai) ↗
  5. The Quint ↗
  6. The Asian Age ↗
  7. The Hindu ↗
  8. Mid-Day ↗
  9. MTV India ↗
  10. InUth ↗
  11. YourStory ↗
  12. Youth Ki Awaaz ↗
  13. Citizen Matters ↗

Is VOSD the right charity for dogs? What makes us different?

VOSD is in the world’s largest ecosystem of no-kill rescue, rehabilitation, and lifelong care for dogs, and the services that support it. We bring 300-400 dogs a year – that are certain to die without VOSD’s intervention – by road, train & air from over 40 Indian cities.

If you are equally passionate about the welfare of strays and abandoned pet dogs, do your bit to help safeguard your companions by supporting our charity for dogs in India through donations or by volunteering. When you donate to a dog’s welfare at VOSD, you can be assured that the highest standards of hygiene, safety, and welfare are adhered to as we scale up our operations.

100%

Of your donation goes directly towards dogs' needs. Zero overhead costs or admin fees on donations.

See How VOSD Supports India's Dogs

We help rehabilitate strays who are incapable of fending for themselves due to abuse or their health conditions and play an integral part in a stray dog’s life.

VOSD is located near Bangalore, India, and hundreds of rescued dogs reside here lifelong without ever worrying about food, shelter, and care. Our entire workforce is passionate about helping these dogs live a life of dignity, and your donations for dogs help us continue on our mission.

Charity for Dogs in India: How VOSD uses your online donations

  • VOSD is the world’s largest ecosystem of no-kill rescue, rehabilitation, and lifelong care for dogs, and the services that support it.
  • VOSD is a home for life for dogs who have no hope of surviving on the streets, and we have the infrastructure to take care of ~1400 dogs, all of which receive the best nutritional care, veterinary services, and lots of love and cuddles for the rest of their natural life.
  • VOSD Sanctuary was founded on the principle that no dog will ever be euthanized because of a lack of space, money, or resources.
  • VOSD is home to not just India’s most ‘unadoptable’ dogs, but also of ‘Patriot Dogs’, India’s service dogs who have been retired from the Karnataka Police, Reserve Police, Railway Police, Kerala Police, and the Indian Army.
  • We provide the world’s first remote medical assistance service for dogs, wherein our vets read diagnostic reports remotely and recommend treatments for injured/ ill dogs.
  • VOSD has created a series of firsts, including the world’s first mobile app for dog rescue and a custom CRM to boost rescue and treatment operations. We have also created India’s first blood bank for stray and pet dogs.
URGENT

They Can't Wait. Will You Help?

Every moment counts for a dog waiting on the streets. Your donation reaches the ones who need it the most. Together, we’re transforming lives with second chances and unconditional love.

Real Stories, Real Hope

Every rescued dog is a story of transformation. See how your donations change lives.

264 dogs waiting for help

Please donate for at least 1

Your Questions Answered

How is VOSD different from other animal shelters in the country?

First and foremost, VOSD isn’t an animal shelter, but a sanctuary with the capacity to take care of ~1400 rescued dogs that can live at our premises for life. We cater to the most difficult cases of rehabilitation such as dogs that have been blinded with acid, sexually assaulted, run over & paralyzed. We give these dogs a second chance at life and a safe home.

All dogs at VOSD Sanctuary are free to roam within their 50+ enclosures spread across the 3.5-acre area as they are never chained or left in isolation. The dogs also have access to a veterinary hospital, 24*7 water & power supply, agility parks & a jet-powered hydrotherapy pool.

In the early days of inception, founder Rakesh Shukla privately funded the organization. Later, VOSD started creating a series of product and entertainment brands/properties to help support operations, funded and patronized by dog lovers worldwide:

  • Art for Dogs (a dog inspired art exhibition)
  • Barking Mad (a stand-up comedy special)
  • Howling Mad (a music festival)
  • Stars for Dogs (invites celebrities)
  • Monster Bake (a dog food baking festival)

Since 2019, VOSD has started accepting donations online across India and the world, and since then over 20,000 donors/supporters have been sending in donations to help grow the VOSD ecosystem and care for the VOSD dogs.

VOSD and its entire workforce believe in the ideology of serving our dogs with the same level of care and shelter as is given to a pet dog. It has never let go of any dog on account of a lack of resources, space, or finances.

As an organization, VOSD has a strong No-Kill policy. Only if a dog is in unbearable pain and has no chances of recovery is euthanizing considered an option. However, to prevent abuse of the dogs at any level, the process requires three signatures in total (two from professional vets and the third being of the VOSD founder).

According to Indian bylaws, all online donations/direct bank transfers for nonprofit organizations that you do in INR get an 80G tax exemption.

Each month, VOSD requires a minimum amount of INR 17.5 lakhs to manage and run the VOSD sanctuary as is. Your funding is used to support one of these operational costs:

  • Food & nutrition
  • Operations & maintenance
  • Medical aid & treatments for our dogs
  • Speciality support from veterinary hospitals in Bangalore city

You can get a breakup of our monthly expense and figure out your donation for dogs in India by checking information given here.

VOSD takes donations online through credit card /debit card / UPI in INR. You can also support the campaigns running live on the dog donation website, and cover monthly expenses of hundreds of resident dogs at the VOSD Sanctuary and Hospital by directly paying via IMPS / RTGS / NEFT modes. So donate to charity online today and make a difference in the life of the dogs at VOSD.

Bank details are mentioned below. For any donation related queries please write to us at info@vosd.in.