Our dogs are very well taken care of and are also family members. I have mixed emotions about them as they can get hurt before an officer but they also do wonderful things like find lost people(bloodhounds). They can find drug stashes that would otherwise go unnoticed by the police. They protect the officers and are given officer status themselves. Overall, I think it's alright. I know some animal rights people don't agree. It would be different if they were mistreated, though.