Should NC's retired K-9s get health benefits? Police, animal rights groups say yes

One of North Carolina’s top law enforcement officers stood before a room of legislators and listed the accomplishments of a former colleague who, now retired, stands to receive no healthcare benefits from the government.

Bryan House, director of the state’s Alcohol Law Enforcement division, said his colleague was involved in 400 drug arrests in her career. During those arrests, she helped seize more than $1.2 million in cash. She also found the gun used to murder former Shelby Police Officer Tim Brackeen, who was killed in 2016. Brackeen’s assailant later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

House said his former colleague — an 8-year-old black labrador retriever named “Jip” — deserves some support from the state. So, in the House’s State Personnel Committee Thursday morning, he encouraged lawmakers to pass a bill that would do just that.

House Bill 1042, which sponsors titled “Vet Care for Retired Law Enforcement Dogs,” proposes to set aside $300,000 of state funds each year to use on veterinary care for the state’s retired service animals.

Under the latest version of the bill, the state would pay up to $1,500 each year for veterinary care for each dog, horse or other retired state service animal — so long as they had worked for a law enforcement or correctional agency and had received certification from a nationally recognized organization. Handlers of the retired animals would pay the initial veterinary bill, then apply for reimbursement through North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety within 90 days of the animal’s vet visit.

In a voice vote, the House Personnel Committee expressed unanimous support for the bill, sending it to the House Appropriations Committee for its next review.

State Rep. Dudley Greene, R-McDowell, is a former sheriff who co-sponsored the bill. Offering financial assistance may encourage more people to take home retired K-9s, he said.

“Working with law enforcement, a good dog is worth its weight in gold,” Greene said. “But when they retire, I know that it becomes an issue for a lot of the handlers. They end up oftentimes seeing those dogs through until the end of their life and it becomes their responsibility to pay for the care of these dogs.”

Though the bill enjoys bipartisan support, it has a long way to go before becoming law. The bill still needs to be passed by the full state House of Representatives and the state Senate before it can go to Gov. Roy Cooper for his signature. If enacted into law, the program would launch on July 1.

Representatives of various law enforcement and animal rights groups appeared before the committee Thursday to express support.

The state’s Department of Public Safety supports the bill, said Susanna Davis, its director of legislative affairs. So does North Carolina’s Police Benevolent Association, according to its lobbyist, Sebastian King. Both Davis and King offered brief comments during the meeting.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, supports the bill, its lobbyist, John McHugh, told the committee. A representative for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, known as PETA, also spoke in favor of the bill.

“This is a great bill,” said Tony Solari, who spoke for PETA. K-9s “sometimes risk their lives and can sustain injuries or other issues as part of their service.”