Police dogs at Hanford will no longer return to their handlers' homes after each day's work.

Temporary kennels have been set up in central Hanford after nine handlers sued Department of Energy contractor Fluor Hanford for back wages and overtime for their work housing, caring for and training dogs at their homes.

Fluor settled the suit for $131,000 this fall, admitting no fault. But the settlement left Fluor and Hanford Guard Union Local 21 to negotiate terms for caring for the dogs after Nov. 1.

Fluor chose to end the practice of sending the dogs home each night with handlers.

"We were forced to make a business decision that still was protective of the dogs," said Geoff Tyree, spokesman for Fluor Hanford, which provides patrol services at the Hanford nuclear reservation.

The handlers have been told to drop off the dogs at temporary kennels as they finish their first scheduled shift at Hanford this week from Monday through Thanksgiving Day. The dogs have lived in their handlers' homes for as long as eight years.

"We've adamantly opposed this," said Darryl Sybouts, business agent for Local 21.

Sending dogs to outdoor kennels after many have become used to sleeping inside their handlers' homes seems harsh, he said.

The dogs won a temporary reprieve when workers questioned the adequacy of the temporary kennels Fluor planned to use.

Fluor responded by requesting an evaluation by Richland veterinarian Ethan Nelson, who proposed changes.

Each dog will have a fenced-in dog house with a heating pad and a temperature-controlled water dish near the Hanford patrol operations center in central Hanford. The center is staffed 24 hours a day.

A wind break and tarp to serve as rain cover also will be used to keep the dogs comfortable, an exercise area has been prepared and kennels will be cleaned once a day, Tyree said.

"It is a reasonable setting for a dog," Nelson said.

Dogs include Labradors, golden retrievers and Vizslas. Fluor did not release the number of dogs to be kept in the kennel as part of DOE's policy not to reveal specifics about Hanford's security system.

Hanford used patrol and drug detection dogs from the early 1980s until the early 1990s when they were given away to Mid-Columbia police agencies. Those dogs were kept in a kennel.

But after the Oklahoma bombing in the mid-90s, DOE reinstated its K-9 program, using dogs to detect explosives. DOE decided then that it would be less costly to keep the dogs at home, Tyree said.

Kennels were built at handlers' homes and Fluor covered costs of food, grooming and veterinary care. Handlers also have been paid an extra $1.50 for each hour worked on site. Hanford has been the only DOE site to keep dogs owned by DOE at handlers' homes, Tyree said.

But fair labor laws require handlers to be paid for the time they spend caring for the dogs outside of regular work hours, Sybouts said.

Local 21 would like to continue negotiations to keep the dogs at home, he said. He believes Fluor was close to an agreement with the handlers until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of workers at Tyson Fresh Meats' Wallula plant earlier this month. The court awarded $7.3 million in pay for the time workers spent putting on protective clothing and walking to the production line.

Fluor said several factors were considered.

In the past, pay for handlers had been settled through collective bargaining, Tyree said. Fluor could not risk the possibility of future lawsuits over the issue, and also was concerned about liability should dogs cause an injury or damage in the handlers' home, he said.

Using kennels also gives Fluor certainty about costs, Tyree said.

"We know it's difficult for the families," he said. "They have come to be like pets."

But "pet owners take care of animals out of love with no expectation of compensation," he said. "This is a business issue that was raised."

Local 21 believes keeping the dogs at home has a business advantage for Fluor. The dogs will maintain a better bond with handlers if allowed to continue living with them, Sybouts said.

Fluor countered that dogs who have been away from their handlers have been eager to please when reunited.

Fluor is making plans for a permanent kennel that will be built in 2006 to the same standards used by the military, Tyree said.