In a unanimous vote, the City Council of Modesto decided to allow the family of a slain officer to keep Ike, a 3-year-old police dog. Ike, a Belgian Malinois, was the K-9 partner of Sgt. Mike Pershall, who was killed in August by a suspected drunken driver, The Modesto Bee reports.
Ike was partnered with Pershall for two years and currently lives with the Pershall family. In normal circumstances, Ike would work until around 8 years old and then retire. In fact, when Pershall was promoted to sergeant in August, Ike was set to be trained with a new handler, but after Pershall’s death, he stayed with the family.
Many members of the Modesto community have come out offering support for the Pershall family and Ike, offering to donate money to the police department’s purchase of a new K-9.
“It is not a good deal for the Police Department to lose the dog,” Police Chief Galen Carroll said. “But…you have a wife and two kids who just lost their dad, and that’s the family dog. What is the right thing to do?”
The City Council decided the right thing to do was allow Ike to retire and stay with his family. He will spend the rest of his days with the Pershalls and support them during this difficult time.
See the vote from the City Council in the video below.