Pension issues frequently grace the pages of APB. Defined benefit plans guarantee a lifetime monthly payment to the recipient upon retirement, whereas defined contribution plans deposit money into an individual account for an employee. Opponents of pension plans point to their high financial liability, as they often require the government to spend tax money “paying” an employee long after they have stopped working. Proponents, especially in the law enforcement realm, argue that a government has a moral obligation to ensure a funded retirement for police officers who sacrifice their health in a high-stress field. Pensions have been around for a long time, but a new debate is emerging: Should police canines receive them as well? That question is being considered in Massachusetts. 

A bill in the state’s Legislature would create a fund to support working dogs in their retirement. While it’s been likened to a pension for police dogs, that’s not technically accurate. Dakota’s Law, if passed, would establish a state fund for retired Massachusetts K-9s. State Representative Steven Xiarhos, who filed the bill, says the fund would receive state money but would also serve as a repository for donations. Unlike an actual pension, it would function more as a charitable fund to help cover the care of former working dogs.

“When [these dogs] retire, they should be taken care of for the rest of their lives.”

“These dogs that serve our Commonwealth — when they retire, they should be taken care of for the rest of their lives,” Xiarhos said, per news site MassLive.

Like many laws, this one didn’t exactly follow the traditional route described by the old Schoolhouse Rock! cartoon. Instead, it involved some former cops, a tug-at-your-heartstrings story and a police dog named Dakota. Dakota spent much of his career working with Newton Police Sergeant Daniel Valente and even had a brush with history, participating in the massive police response to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. He later transferred to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office.

When Dakota was ready to retire in 2019, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office contacted James LaMonte, founder of the K9 PTSD Center. LaMonte’s nonprofit takes in dogs who can no longer function as police canines — many of whom, due to their bite training, cannot be placed with families and would otherwise be euthanized. He believed that Dakota had canine PTSD, a condition not widely recognized by the veterinary community but one he estimates affects up to 20% of working canines. LaMonte works with dogs exhibiting specific symptoms and behavioral issues, and his efforts to help Dakota overcome PTSD were chronicled in Healing Dakota, a documentary he and his friends made. Despite recovering after years of treatment, Dakota died of pancreatitis in 2022 at the age of 12.

Xiarhos said he cried after watching the documentary. A former police officer and deputy chief of the Yarmouth Police Department, Xiarhos decided to file the bill that may one day become Dakota’s Law. There are still hurdles to overcome before it can be enacted, but Xiarhos remains hopeful. During the last session of the Massachusetts Legislature, it was reviewed favorably by the Joint Public Safety Committee. So far, in the current legislative session, he has already convinced several other representatives to sign on, including Democratic Senator Michael Moore. “I think it’s a good idea. These dogs spend their lives in service. It makes sense to give something back,” Moore said, echoing Xiarhos, a Republican. This indicates a level of bipartisan support, which in itself, could be a promising sign for Dakota’s Law.