by Carol Mowdy Bond | Photos courtesy of Rachel Schaefer
“He’s the definition of a lover, not a fighter,” says Rachel Schaefer, who chose her latest dog, Kai, at an adoption event in summer 2022. “He greets everybody with a smile and a wagging tail. He will not interact with other animals because that was part of his training. However, he didn’t learn that lesson when it came to toys. He wants to play all day long, and that was what got him kicked out of law-enforcement canine school.”
A northeastern Oklahoma canine unit partnered with a Tulsa-area adoption agency to find new homes for three retrievers that flunked out of doggy training school. The unit had owned three-year-old Kai since birth. A purebred British yellow Labrador retriever, Kai is third-generation AKC registered. His sire was a working police dog.
Better Things To Do
Schaefer fell in love with the dog. “The first thing I noticed was how pretty he was. He seemed very well behaved sitting next to his handler. I was looking at all the dogs when I came up to Kai. He jumped up on me. It seemed to shock his handler. I sat and played with him and took him on a walk before introducing him to my parents. My parents were wary of how much energy he had. We were used to a calm house where we had a 15-year-old dog. When I brought Kai back to his handler, he tried to follow me.”
At the event, Schaefer says, “The handlers told us the story of how Kai was being trained to be a firearm and drug-sniffing dog. Kai did not pass the tests on the standards needed. At the time of his adoption, we were presented with Kai’s AKC registration papers as well as his training papers that included the dates of his exams.”
Schaefer’s mother adds another layer to the story, saying, “When the trainers would give him specific items to track down, he would take off. But then he was extremely laid-back, and it might be three or four days before he would find the item. He had better things to do.”
Fun and Games
Rachel Schaefer is a University of Central Oklahoma graduate with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry–health science and forensic chemistry, and her projected career path involves biochemistry research. She also has a lot of dog-owner savvy. As Schaefer’s third dog, Kai follows her chocolate Labrador-pit mix, Cocoa, who lived to age 13. Her Yorkipoo, Jackson, died in 2024 at age 17.
“We got Kai because we have mostly been a two-dog home, and when Jackson started getting older, we decided to get a second dog,” says Schaefer. “Ever since I was five years old, I have always had a dog, and I couldn’t imagine living without a furry friend by my side. So we started looking for another dog.”
On bringing Kai home, Schaefer says, “He was a little timid at first. He had to learn his new environment, but he adapted very quickly. It did take a little bit of time to gain his trust because he wasn’t used to playing. All he knew was a rigid schedule. He started to take blankets and pillows.”
During his earlier training, handlers had not allowed Kai to have any toys, pillows, or blankets. So when Schaefer and her parents adopted him, he was elated to have his own toys and began to hoard them. He still takes all his toys to his crate each night so he can sleep with them. Schaefer says Kai’s special “baby” is a toy beaver, which is recently missing a leg.
“Kai loves his crate,” Schaefer says. “Although he’s not forced to be in it, he has come to see it as his safe space. He knows that if he wants quiet or has finished playing, he can lie in his crate, and no one will bother him.”
She adds, “Nothing makes a bad day better than coming home to a goofy dog that just wants you happy. Owning a dog can be a lot of work. Kai needs to move and play. He gets sad when he doesn’t feel he has accomplished anything for the day. One of his favorite things is to play fetch, and he tries to catch the ball every time. He always looks excited to catch the ball before it hits the ground.”
It’s all in a day’s play for Kai — but not work.
