2023 Animal Stories Magazine

Page 13 2023 Animal Stories Lincoln Daily News February 22. 2023 his handler who was leaving the department first. With no replacement at hand, the department was not going to be keeping Ace. When Ace arrived in Lincoln, he was assigned to Officer Sullivan and the two have been partners for the last six years. Officer Sullivan said that in that time, the two have been “deployed” 553 times. Deployments are calls to service and could include helping to detain a suspect, or an investigation for illegal drugs. The two also go through 16 hours a month of professional training, and in the years together have clocked 1,220 hours. Ace and Officer Sullivan both have to be certified as a K-9 unit. The certification is an ongoing requirement for the two and Officer Sullivan said there are no gray areas, it is 100 percent pass or fail, so it is important for the partners to work well together and to continue to perform as expected. Officer Sullivan shared that dogs such as Ace are usually retired when they are still relatively young. He said many departments will say that a dog should not work beyond the age of ten. With that in mind, Ace may be retiring someday. Officer Sullivan was asked what the future would hold for the dog once he is retired, and his answer was firm. Ace will stay with his handler after retirement. Regardless of when that may be, Officer Sullivan said the dog will always be with him. This has been the case with the department dogs over the years. Each handler has chosen to keep their dogs and care for them and protect them into their old age. Asked if the dog would then become a family pet, Officer Sullivan said no not in the conventional sense of the word. He said that he has young children who have been taught all along that Ace is not a plaything, and they understand that fully. Officer Sullivan was asked if his family was on board with Ace staying with them after retirement, and he said they were. He said he has always known in his mind that Ace will retire in his care, but he did one day think he should speak with his wife about it. Officer Sullivan said she too loves animals, and when he brought it up she simply said, “I always assumed Ace would stay with us.” And just because Ace isn’t a pet, doesn’t mean he isn’t loved. Officer Sullivan said Ace is his partner and his protector. As dog does age, Officer Sullivan will still be his partner, and at that time, Ace’s protector. Continued --