Matt Hickey and Ajax
A retired Ohio police officer, Matt Hickey, has rejected an offer to work as an unpaid auxiliary officer to keep his K-9 partner, Ajax. The offer came to him by the city of Marietta. In addition, he would pay $1 to buy the dog from the city when the dog was too old to work.
Officials from Marietta told Hickey last week Ajax would be auctioned off to the highest bidder. It is the law in Ohio. Ajax is considered government property.
Hickey was recovering from injuries to his neck and shoulder last July and hasn’t worked since that time. He retired officially from the Marietta police department January 25th, 2016. Ajax hasn’t worked for the police department since then but they say he is too young to retire. He has lived with the Hickey family from the beginning.
Hickey and Ajax were partners for four and a half years for the Marietta police department. He wanted to be able to keep Ajax upon his retirement after working for 30 years as a police officer.
Hickey said, “I retired from there because of my health.”
Hickey raised and trained Ajax and was willing to pay $3500 for him which is what a local police dog trainer said he was worth. The Police Chief, Robert Hupp, rejected the offer.
Hupp and city officials have said the dog must be sold through a sealed-bid auction. The law states that cities can sell police dogs for a $1 but only when the dog can no longer work.
A GoFundMe page was created to raise money for Hickey to purchase Ajax at the auction. That page has raised over $71,000. The extra money will be used for bulletproof vests for police dogs according to the creator of the page.
When asked if he will bid on Ajax if he is auctioned off, Hickey said, of course.
The Marietta police department is working on a solution for Ajax.
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The retired officer should’ve been allowed to keep the dog he raised, trained, was partners with and lives with. It’s a no-brainer.
very good.
The dog is too young and can still work as an officer. I would have Ajax work for the dep’t but stay with Hickey. Seems like a fair compromise.
The police department needs to allow him to keep the dog he trained himself. That would be cruel to separate them after everything they’ve been through.
Why are people continuing to give to this cause? They reached their quota.
This is disgraceful of the police department to make him bid on his own dog. It says they are government property so what else can you expect? Wrong!
I hope no one else bids on the dog.
It was the right thing to do. Glad he took a stand.