Legislation creating the Care for Retired Police Dogs Grant Program has been signed into law. The program is designed to support the veterinary needs of retired police K9s across Illinois.

House Bill 3140 establishes a grant that provides up to $1,500 each year to reimburse handlers or adoptive families for veterinary expenses. Eligible K9s must have served at least five years, or three years if they were injured while on duty.

The program is fully funded through sales of Illinois’ new K-9 Memorial License Plate, with no cost to taxpayers. To ensure sustainability, the initiative will only launch if a minimum of 2,000 license plate requests are received by January 2028.

This new law helps honor the service of police dogs while easing the financial burden on the families who care for them in retirement.