By Molly Walsh
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND — The break-up between man and dog has hit Shaker Heights police, as an officer’s departure has caused a difficult separation.
Chad Hagan , a seven-year officer, had to part with his K-9 partner because he is transferring to another department. In November, Hagan turned in his resignation to Wayne Hudson , the city’s chief.
Hagan had worked with the dog since 2018.
His last day is Sunday. He was ordered to take his partner, Igor, to the Beacon Hill Kennel , a boarding facility in Parma , on Nov. 29 . A similar dispute happened in Bedford Heights last summer, when an officer was forced to give back his dog. They were reunited days later.
In Shaker Heights , Hagan had hoped to buy the 6-year-old German shepherd, offering $10,000 for it. But the city says it has no authority to sell the animal.
“A city police officer who leaves the city’s canine unit while the police dog assigned to the officer is still fit for duty forfeits the right to purchase the animal under this section,” a city ordinance says.
Danielle Hagan , the officer’s wife, said the family is heartbroken.
“I’ve only seen my husband cry one other time when his dad passed away. He is devastated,” she said.
Chad Hagan declined to be interviewed, as he is still employed by Shaker Heights . He will be sworn in as an officer at his new department Monday, but the family declined to say which one.
Hudson offered Hagan the option to stay two more years with the department and then permit Igor to retire. Hagan decided to change police departments to be closer to his home in Brunswick with his wife and 1-year-old daughter.
“He has nearly an hour commute for every shift. He just wanted to do what’s best for his family,” his wife said.
According to police, Hagan complained that Igor was taken away from him unnecessarily early.
“While his last day with the Shaker Heights Police Department is Dec. 10, he has taken three vacation days since tendering his resignation. He is not scheduled to work from December 8 through December 10,” the city said in a statement. “The SHPD did not want to have to retrieve Igor when Officer Hagan was no longer a city employee.”
Danielle Hagan said Igor could be eligible to retire in the next eight months when he is 7.
“He’s part of our family,” she said while holding back sobs. “Igor is with Chad everywhere. They go to work together. They come home together. They are best friends, and we love him. I can’t even describe the heartbreak we all feel.”
An online petition had more than 600 signatures to “Bring K-9 Igor Home” as of Friday afternoon.
The city denied the request because Igor has “an expected three or four years of service before likely retirement,” a statement from the city said.
Purchasing a new police dog can cost $8,500 to $13,000, depending on the breed and what the dog is trained to perform, the city said.
“Sending a dog and handler to the initial six-week training course costs approximately $7,200,” the city said. “Ongoing training costs every year are also significant and can involve expenses for travel, hotel, and paying overtime to officers who fill in for the handlers who are away at training courses.”
In July, Ryan Kaetzel , a now-former Bedford Heights police officer, was also forced to give back his K-9 partner, Bosco, after Kaetzel moved to Strongsville’s police department. Kaetzel and Bosco were reunited days later after community members supported the city giving the animal back to the officer.
Shaker Heights , in a statement, said the police chief is following the requirements of the law and acting in the best interests of the residents to protect the investment made in the police dog.
“While Chief Hudson is empathetic to Officer Hagan and his family’s feelings about Igor, Officer Hagan understood when he became a K-9 officer, as do all K-9 officers, that the dogs they work with are a highly trained integral part of the Shaker Heights Police Department that provide a service in protecting the community,” the city’s statement said.
“It is the responsibility and priority of the chief and the city’s administration to protect the safety of the citizens of the city. Any attack on the judgment and character of the chief on this issue is unwarranted and unjust.”
Police1 readers respond
- Bad judgment and I don’t see how this denial can be justified. This dog is bonded to this officer and some things in life can’t be relegated by whether or not it’s a commodity or a resource. Now the dog is going to be boarded? Maybe it’s time your work takes on robots instead of creatures who think intellectually and have feelings. Can’t blast the judgment of this chief? Well, consider it blasted. I was an MP in the military so I’m not ignorant or new to LE. I have also been doing Doberman rescue since the 70s. I know what I speak and this is cruel and unnecessary. Again move to robots, maybe with officers as well. This world is becoming inhuman anyway. Hope you catch a lot of flak on this one and are forced to rethink this decision. It’s not like another new recruit couldn’t start over with a newly trained dog as the cost is being covered by the outgoing officer. I’m so tired of hearing rules are rules and policy isn’t renegotiable. It usually is when it comes to money and politics. How about the wellbeing of the dog and the officer? I’m so mad I can’t see straight.
- If it means anything, take a look at X under the hashtag #savek9igor. We respectfully say that our tax dollars purchased Igor and we are willing to purchase another to take his place. A GoFUNDME has already been started. Igor has been with the Hagan’s since he was 1. Now at 6-1/2, he’s yanked away from the only family he’s known. Forced to sit in a dog pound. He is sad, depressed, wondering what he did wrong. This is profound cruelty and Igor will never be the same even with a new handler. Shaker Heights has made a very bad decision for the mental health of a supposed k9 officer.
What do you think? Email editor@police1.com.
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