Former Galapagos Island Police Dogs Arrive in Seattle

Last Friday Lady’s Hope Dog Rescue invited us to Sea-Tac airport to meet 3 retired Galapagos Island police dogs they brought to Seattle for adoption.

Jonathan and Terminator are ready to get out of their crates after their 2 day trip from Ecuador to Seattle. Image from Lady’s Hope Dog Rescue.for adoption. Photo from Lady’s Hope Dog Rescue.

As part of its work to protect rare plants and animals in the Galapagos, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has worked in cooperation with the Ecuadorian police since 2008 to support an elite K9 police unit dedicated to the detection of smuggled wildlife — the first unit of its kind in South America.

These elite dogs were raised and trained in the Netherlands for 2 years before going to the Galapagos, and they worked there for 5 years before retiring last week. Lady’s Hope found homes for 4 other retired Galapagos Island police dogs earlier this year.

The organization became involved with finding homes for these retired dogs because a person on their board is affiliated with Sea Shepherd.

Lady’s Hope already had permanent homes lined of for the all 3 dogs that arrived Friday, and their adopters were on hand to greet the dogs.

Lady’s Hope’s founder Yvonne Devereaux said the dogs will take some time to adjust to their new surroundings.  At 7-years-old, the dogs must learn how to live a life of leisure (sounds rough, right?) as they’ve never lived in a house before, spent the majority of their time working, and haven’t had the chance to run around open spaces.

Terminator, Luna, Jonathan should have no problem adapting to life in the Northwest. They are all typical Labrador Retrievers – friendly, good-natured, and non-stop tail waggers.

Thanks to Lady’s Hope Dog Rescue for helping them find permanent homes.

Luna soaks up the attention. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.

Jonathan checks out the situation at Sea-Tac Airport. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.

Terminator shows that although he has a touch name, he enjoys an ear scratch. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.

Lady’s Hope Dog Rescue Founder Yvonne Devereaux welcomes Jonathan to the United States. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.

Luna apparently likes belly rubs. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.

Jonathan loves his tennis ball. The dogs got to play with them as a reward for finding contraband. Photo from Seattle DogSpot

Jonathan and Luna share a moment. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.

Jonathan likes a good game of tug-of-war too. Photo from Seattle DogSpot

Terminator and Jonathan were overwhelmed with new smells.

Once again, Luna is the center of attention. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.

Jonathan meets his new mom. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.

Trying to get 3 dogs that just traveled 2 days to pose for a group picture proved to be a challenge. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.

Success! From left, Jonathan, Luna, and Terminator. Photo from Seattle DogSpot.