Retired cop may be able to keep K-9 partner amid auction fears
Source: USA Today
Retired cop may be able to keep K-9 partner amid auction fears
Mary Bowerman, USA TODAY Network 10:44 a.m. EST February 2, 2016
A retired Ohio police officer may be able to keep his K-9 partner amid fears that the dog will be auctioned off, officials said Monday.
Matt Hickey, a former police officer in Marietta, Ohio, recently retired after some 30 years of service and wanted his K-9 companion Ajax to retire with him, according to a GoFundMe page.
Hickey was told that because Ajax still has several working years left and is public property, the animal had to be auctioned to the highest bidder instead of going home with him, NBC reported.
Ajax and Hickey worked together for four years, and the police officer was not ready to say goodbye to Ajax without a fight.
Officer Hickey came in when he retired and wanted to buy the dog right then, but we couldn't do it," Marietta Mayor Joe Matthew told NBC News. "It's impossible. I would have loved to, but the state law won't allow us."
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