From regiment to retirement

Although it is common knowledge that the People's Liberation Army's dog base in Beijing provides the nation's troops with the best four-legged soldiers available, it is less well-known that the base also runs a care home for retired army dogs.

Life expectancy for dogs is between 10 and 15 years. Army dogs can join military operations at around 2-years-old, when they have been fully trained, but they are usually retired at age 7 or 8 because their bodies are no longer able to cope with intense missions.

At present, there are about 100 retired dogs at the training base. However, the majority were not retired because of age but as a result of training-related injuries and personality issues, said Luo Bingkun, who oversees the care of the retired dogs.