Faithful service should always be rewarded. This is true for people. It should also be true for animals that are trained to work for humans. How the animal is retired has to be related to the type of animal. Mules, donkeys, horses, oxen, and dogs are the most common work animals. Some lab animals, like monkeys, should be included in this group.
Dogs should always become pets unless they have a disposition that discourages it. The vast majority of working dogs are well-trained to be companions to people. While they enjoy their work, they also receive happiness from the people that care for them.
Dogs that are used as eyes and ears cannot become pets for the person they served without some minor retraining. The problem is that the dog will be replaced in the home where it has lived and worked. This is a difficult transition for the dog to make. It is usually best to place this type of dog with new owners to make way for the next working dog to become the person's helper.
Police dogs and other guard dogs can usually become the family pet of their handler. Because of the difference between the work and home environment, the dog generally has no trouble with the transition to becoming a pet. It will like the continued company and attention of the trusted friend who has taken care of it for much of its adult life.
The same thing is true of companion dogs from nursing homes and similar places. Allowing the dog to become the pet of its primary caregiver is normally a good match. Becoming pets often gives the dog two to five years to be retired. Dogs need to be retired somewhere between eight and ten years of age depending on breed and health.
For large animals, turning them into pets seems like a difficult proposition. The term "put out to pasture" comes to mind as a viable option. After a lifetime of carrying people, performing in events, snaking logs, and hauling weight, a retirement that includes little or no work is the best plan. Because some of these animals learn to enjoy the company of people, it is not fair to them to just put them in a field where they will be forgotten.
Retirement for horses, mules, etc. should be easy but also some social interaction with people must be included for the happiness of the animal. Like children who love the affection of parents, owners and others become surrogates to these animals. They will live a happier more content existence if people still brush them, feed them, and give them attention as often as possible.
If monkeys remain healthy, the best placement for them is often a good quality zoo. Zoos employ veterinarians and others who are trained in the care of these exotic animals. The monkeys will also get to have limited social interaction with others of the same or similar type. Even if the other animals are too aggressive for complete integration, just being in the presence of other monkeys will provide the animal some social stimulation.
Some might argue with placement in a zoo, but very few individuals are able to care for a monkey that has reached senior adulthood. There is the need for experience in caring for monkeys plus a significant possible monetary cost.
