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Retired Pekin Police K9 - Aslan - Pekin, IL to rescue stories!

10K views 44 replies 26 participants last post by  pache11 
#1 · (Edited)
A good home is needed for retired Pekin Police K9 – Aslan. Aslan is a 9 year old, sable male. He is affectionate, confident, friendly and loving with people of all ages. He can be dog aggressive with some dogs. His favorite toys are tennis balls and a fire hose to play tug. He has been kept in outside kennel with a heated shed and behaves well inside the house. He is also crate trained and comfortable inside the crate. He rides well inside vehicles inside his crate when traveling. For more information, please leave a message for Officer Jeff Stolz at (309) 478-5330.
 
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#4 ·
bump! i've always wanted to adopt a retired K9.
 
#7 ·
i think thats harsh. Sometimes they cant afford to take care of two dogs and it would be best for the retired dog to find a comfortable home to spend his days instead of stressing over not being able to go to work with the handler and new dog. Least he's looking for a home for the dog instead of euthanizing him.
 
#12 ·
Plus since I want to get into SchH I could learn basics with him.

:headbang: He would be a great fit in about 6 months

If he was urgent I could definitely find a way to foster him.
I know a few people who could be serious about adopting him though. I will pass along the # incase he's still available.
 
#13 ·
i think thats harsh. Sometimes they cant afford to take care of two dogs and it would be best for the retired dog to find a comfortable home to spend his days instead of stressing over not being able to go to work with the handler and new dog. Least he's looking for a home for the dog instead of euthanizing him.
I second this. Bear in mind that, when a handler adopts his former partner, the dog becomes his pet and the handler is responsible for all the costs, including medical (even if medical issues were caused while on duty).
 
#16 ·
My wife and I visited Aslan yesterday for a couple of hours. The trip is about 3 hours from our home in North Aurora. I had previously visited him on January 4 and discovered a well-balanced, loving, and playful 9 year old shepherd. On my first visit I met Jeff and went out to see Aslan on his lead outside. I let him sniff my hand and when I knelt down he immediately pushed his body against mine, pressing against me as he nibbled my ear. I walked Aslan on his lead over to the open field where he goes to play and threw his ball around. He would sitz and platz for me while playing ball.

Jeff is looking to place Aslan due to the fact his young son is allergic to dogs/cats and eyes and sinuses swell when Aslan is in the house. Jeff works second shift and his wife works days. They have 2 small children that can’t be left alone when working with Aslan. Jeff’s wife can work/walk and care for him. Aslan is not aggressive toward any person or children. He is housebroken and will sometimes be allowed in the kitchen, but cannot be allowed in the carpeted areas of the home due to Jeff’s sons allergies. Aslan is calm, assured gentleman. His tail had to be docked to about 6inches due to injuries sustained when he was younger in the police vehicle and he has 2 titanium canines on the top and bottom of the left side of his jaw due to helper turning during bite work.

On our last visit Aslan was in his kennel when we arrived. Aslan does not bark or get excited when guests arrive at his home. He sat quietly in the kennel when Jeff got his lead ready. When let out of the kennel, he approached me again with the same happy pressing body greeting. He lets me stroke him all over and enjoys the physical contact. He was very friendly with my wife and Jeff recommended that I take him over to the field to play. I walked him to the field on the 6ft lead. Jeff was comfortable with the way Aslan had bonded with me and listened to commands, so he stayed about 50yards away and watched our interaction. Aslan was great playing ball with my wife and myself and would patiently sit and out the ball for both of us. I attached the 30’ lead on Aslan as we interacted as a precaution. It was not needed. I played tug with Aslan using a section of fire hose and Aslan had no aggression and played nicely. Jeff came over after about 20min of interaction and my wife walked him as we returned to the house. Jeff gave water for Aslan in his crate and he was quiet and well behaved inside his crate. He is not aggressive inside his crate and would take treats gently through the grate. Jeff said I could give Aslan the new toy (Kong Wubba) that I brought and he dropped his ball and was happily squeaking and laying down with the new toy between his paws. He liked the new toy and proceeded to play contentedly by himself. My wife and Jeff’s wife talked for about a half hour about Aslan and my wife was comfortable around Aslan.

Aslan was not retired from the police department due to any fault of his own, but due to the condition of the vehicle Jeff was using. A new vehicle would have been about $120000 after fitting all the equipment needed for K9 operations and video systems. I also spoke with Bob Flemming from Landheim K-9s where police department acquired Aslan and Jeff was trained and certified. He remembered both K-9s that Jeff had. He also stated that Aslan was a great well balanced dog. Aslan is a dual purpose dog doing both patrol and narcotics/searches. He still loves to search for keys or items that are tossed and hidden for him to search for. Aslan has only showed aggression toward other dogs when dogs have attacked him or trespassed in to his territory. Aslan ignores the other dogs when training and ignores the next door neighbors dogs and shows no aggression.

My quandary is the fact I committed to adopting another shepherd and cannot afford to feed both. I was terminated from my position at work after they found that I would need additional surgery to replace my joint in the middle finger of my right hand. This injury happened at work and I was on work restrictions when terminated. I am receiving TDD benefits as I wait for surgery on my finger and should still receive benefits while doing the therapy after the surgery. My heart is torn after visiting Aslan again. With help I could foster/adopt him. It would be even better if an experienced GSD person could adopt him. I think he would be fine with another person as long as they could show a confident calm leadership. He is not a dominant dog, and would be happy in a home with a loving owner.
 
#19 ·
If you can't help and all you can do is judge, really what good are you doing anybody. Honestly ask the question, what good are you doing? It's a absolutely great opportunity for somebody to get a great older dog for companionship.

I got my first dog from circumstances that made her available to me. and i'm thankful everyday for that opportunity. I can understand that people other than myself might have different priorities, goals, circumstances, etc and not all have the same ideals I have. I can live with that. The people I got my first dog from, I think are great people. They bred dogs and only had so much room. They had a nice female that because of pyo had to be spayed.

They could have kept her, let her run in the dog yards, let staff play with her for a while each day or find her a home. They found me, and it was awesome. This guy realized his dog staying outside in a kennel beause he was serving as a police K9 was a worthwhile trade off. Now that he isn't serving in that capacity, he could live out his days in a kennel, or go somewhere that he can really thrive and give somebody an experience like I had.

so really who cares why the dog is available. If the person has good intentions or not, the only thing that really matters is the dog and what we can do about it. I'm full, or I'd be down there tomorrow to pick him up. I think this is a great, great opportunity for someone.
 
#21 ·
I REALLY wish i could take him. he sounds like an amazing dog but if he has issues with other dogs (animals), thats a problem. I honestly hope he finds a good loving indoor home to play the rest of his days with.
 
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#23 ·
Maybe someone could direct him to the local german shepherd rescue site so the dog can be listed as an owner give up if they have an area on thier site for that. MAGSR has an area on thier site for this and the dogs stay with thier owners until they get a new owner. He may also want to check with the local FOP lodge there may be an officer there who would love such a nice dog and be familier with k-9 officers.
 
#25 ·
I have decided to try to adopt Aslan.

He has been here since Sunday and I am trying to slowly socialize him with my 14mo female, Peaches. I am working extremely slowly to introduce them to each other. Things are looking promising and I am well aware of the problems that can arise. Aslan is very well behaved and has adapted even better than expected to being an inside dog. His manners are exceptional and he is not dominant. They both just ignore my soon to be 21 year old cockatiel, Kugel, which is a blessing. Kugel is just background noise to both of them and they don’t react at all to his vocalizations or movement.

Aslan will now lay next to Peaches in her crate by himself and this is a great relief. Like I said I will take this very slow and use extreme care in working with them together. Aslan is great when taken out for a walk and is friendly with everyone he meets and ignores other dogs. He is nonreactive to new situations and has been wonderful everywhere he has gone. I pray that our two shepherds will learn to get along fine, and I am setting firm boundaries for their relationship. I am not a stranger to dog aggression and know the pitfalls that may come. Peaches is friendly with other dogs and she plays nicely with our neighbor’s dog and other shepherds. She is only bitch aggressive to females her own age.

I don’t regret this choice. Aslan is a wonderful shepherd that deserves a great home. If I could have found a better home we would have, but there have been no qualified people to look at adopting him. So far Aslan has been an easy dog to work with and the bond he is forming with me is exceeding my expectations. Jeff’s children are sad that he has left, but his son breaks out with a rash even with casual contact. Aslan is great with children and they don’t faze him.

I posted a few pictures on the “Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!” section of Aslan and Peaches under the posting heading Peaches.
 
#26 ·
I have decided to try to adopt Aslan.

He has been here since Sunday and I am trying to slowly socialize him with my 14mo female, Peaches. I am working extremely slowly to introduce them to each other. Things are looking promising and I am well aware of the problems that can arise. Aslan is very well behaved and has adapted even better than expected to being an inside dog. His manners are exceptional and he is not dominant. They both just ignore my soon to be 21 year old cockatiel, Kugel, which is a blessing. Kugel is just background noise to both of them and they don’t react at all to his vocalizations or movement.

Aslan will now lay next to Peaches in her crate by himself and this is a great relief. Like I said I will take this very slow and use extreme care in working with them together. Aslan is great when taken out for a walk and is friendly with everyone he meets and ignores other dogs. He is nonreactive to new situations and has been wonderful everywhere he has gone. I pray that our two shepherds will learn to get along fine, and I am setting firm boundaries for their relationship. I am not a stranger to dog aggression and know the pitfalls that may come. Peaches is friendly with other dogs and she plays nicely with our neighbor’s dog and other shepherds. She is only bitch aggressive to females her own age.

I don’t regret this choice. Aslan is a wonderful shepherd that deserves a great home. If I could have found a better home we would have, but there have been no qualified people to look at adopting him. So far Aslan has been an easy dog to work with and the bond he is forming with me is exceeding my expectations. Jeff’s children are sad that he has left, but his son breaks out with a rash even with casual contact. Aslan is great with children and they don’t faze him.

I posted a few pictures on the “Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!” section of Aslan and Peaches under the posting heading Peaches.
This is great news! Aslan sounds like a great dog!
 
#27 ·
Congratulations pache11! And thank you for opening your heart to this very nice guy. Wishing you all a long and happy life together........
BTW the pics are great!
_______________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:
 
#28 ·
Aslan has started to lick Peaches ear when she is lying in her cage. Now it is Peaches that is more unsure and a bit jealous. She doesn't mind when he licks her ear, but is unsure on the face to face through the cage. He has barked pretty loudly before and unsettled her a bit when he arrived. Looking more positive and still taking things slow! Kugel's old cage is now in his new cage and it is sturdy enough to withstand more then just a few bumps or a bit of curiosity. They still don't pay him any attention inside either of the cages.
 

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#30 ·
'way to go Kugel!! And I like his Fort Knox accommodations..... you are doing a great job with introductions - it does take time, but slow and sure is absolutely the way to go.
____________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:
 
#31 ·
Today! This is their 1st face to face encounter. I kept it short and sweet. Aslan is trying so hard to win her over. Both can be a bit excitable, so keeping them both in a down and controlling the excitement is working well. Peaches is still just a 15mo old female and she is learning better impulse control.

Yesterday, I brought Aslan to Gander Mountain in Joliet, Illinois where Danny from Save-A-Vet had set up a booth. He brought Nero, a Military Working Dog that was injured in service. I called Danny that morning and asked if Aslan would be welcome at the event. He agreed and Aslan behaved extremely well and was not getting excited when Nero was there. Danny asked if we could take both outside and see if both could be introduced and this went beyond all my expectations as both were well behaved and just sniffed each other and then relaxed. Nero is neutered and Aslan and Nero did well on this encounter. Aslan is friendly with everyone and the Girl Scouts were selling cookies outside the store. He was center of attention in the troop and they all really liked him. They sold dog cookies as well and donated over $160 to Save-A-Vet. Aslan was there for about 4 hours and greeted everyone who wanted to meet him. He was a very contented boy and slept on the hour ride home. I knew Aslan was friendly with people and I have introduced him to other people this week, but this really exceeded my expectations. He was rock-solid all day and really enjoyed the attention.
 

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