Question for policemen that have had K9

I am not a cop nor have I ever been one. I have a friend whose husband is a cop and has a K9. He is going to be retiring soon. The dog is well taken care of but he stays outside 24/7. When he retires they are probably going to have them place the dog with someone that has a farm.

I guess my question is, I thought your K9 was your best friend that just gets to go to work with you everyday. I know it's not the same as a service dog but I just always assumed that the dog lived inside with the family in a cage or something and then after the dog retires they get to live out the rest of their lives with their family.

My friend doesn't have much to do with the police dog, just her husband. But she or their kids barely interact. When they first got him, I thought it was super cool along with my daughter and we wanted to go see him. He let us throw the ball for him and what not and let us pet him.

I guess I am shocked that the dog isn't more loved then that. Just curious what you guys see in the field with K9's