a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization helping retired police K-9’s thrive in retirement (small print below Welcome to South County Canine Association)

SCCA provides financial support for emergency and routine medical procedures for retired police K-9’s, helping the handlers who made lifelong commitments to care for them after service. These K-9’s protected our communities. Now we protect them in retirement. 

Emergency veterinary bills are high, retirement care is expensive and support systems are limited, once service ends. After retirement, ongoing medical care, amongst everything else, becomes the sole responsibility of the handler. 

Peer-reviewed research on police K-9’s show that they are at increased risk of developing orthopedic injuries, musculoskeletal disease and dental issues, compared to their companion dogs, due to the breed predispositions and increased stress from the years activities they perform. Some emergencies are both sudden and extremely costly. Life-threatening emergencies, such as gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) or bloat, require immediate medical and surgical interventions, which can run into the ten-to-twenty-thousand-dollar range. Large, deep chested dogs like police K-9 breeds, Belgian Malinois and German Shepards, are at higher risks for GDV.