Ohio city allows officer to keep K-9 partner after transfer

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By Zach Mentz
cleveland.com

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — Igor, the 6-year-old German Shepherd canine, is going home.

The city of Shaker Heights on Friday announced it had reached an agreement with former Shaker Heights Police Department officer Chad Hagan to transfer custody of his K-9 companion with whom he’s worked with since 2018.

The announcement comes after a change in Shaker Heights city ordinance, which previously barred officers from gaining custody over their canine officer companions once they left the department.

Shaker Heights City Council on Friday voted to amend that ordinance. The new amendment states any SHPD officer who leaves the department’s canine unit while their canine partner is still active may be granted ownership of their canine by providing funding for a replacement police dog, as well as training for that dog and another officer, according to a news release.

In November, Hagan submitted his request to transfer police departments to one that is closer to his home in Brunswick, where he lives with his wife and 1-year-old daughter. He offered $10,000 to the city of Shaker Heights to buy Igor, but the city denied his request, saying it had no authority to sell the animal. Instead, Shaker Heights instructed Hagan to bring Igor to the Beacon Hill Kennel, a boarding facility in Parma, on Nov. 29 , nearly two weeks before Hagan’s final day with the department on Dec. 10 .

That decision by Shaker Heights prompted public backlash, including an online petition that had surpassed 37,000 signatures as of Friday, as well as a GoFundMe page which had surpassed $14,000 in donations as of Friday. That backlash led to Shaker’s City Council scheduling a special session for Friday to resolve the issue. During that meeting, City Council voted to amend the city’s ordinance to grant Hagan custody of Igor. A recording of Friday’s Shaker Heights City Council meeting, which only lasted about 15 minutes, can be viewed online.

“OUR IGOR MAN IS COMING HOME,” Danielle Hagan , Chad’s wife, wrote in a Facebook post shared Friday to a group named “Bring K9 Igor Home .” “From the bottom of our hearts, we can not thank all of you enough. I truly believe we would not (have) had this outcome without the help and support we received. Between this page, the messages, prayers, petition, and gofundme, we have been overwhelmed with love. We honestly can not say thank you enough.

“Igor will be picked up in a few hours when the kennel opens and there will be many pictures and videos taken. He has a warm bath, steak dinner, and all of the love and cuddles coming his way tonight. We are over the moon excited. Thank you again to everyone!”

Shaker Heights Mayor David Weiss also issued a statement about the city’s resolution between the city, Hagan and Igor.

“We genuinely appreciate the love of animals that has inspired so many people from across the country and beyond to share their thoughts on this situation,” Mayor Weiss said in the release. “Our ordinance, which reflects long-standing state law and was known to Officer Hagan, did not provide the authority to address situations when a police officer leaves the department in advance of the retirement of their canine. Today’s Council action to amend the ordinance enables the amicable resolution reached today.”

Hagan was sworn in to the Berea Police Department on Dec. 11 , one day after leaving SHPD, which makes for a much closer commute to his home and family in Brunswick.

“He’s part of our family,” Danielle Hagan, speaking about Igor, previously told cleveland.com. “Igor is with Chad everywhere. They go to work together. They come home together. They are best friends, and we love him.”

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