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A ‘tail’ of two dogs
Part one – Ace
By Nila Smith
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[April 04, 2023]
As readers leaf through the online pages of the
2023 Animal Stories pet magazine, it will be obvious that many of
the topics inside are based on pets, family animals that have
nothing to do but be cute, loving, and eat and sleep. They are the
animals we all love. They cuddle with us when they are cold, walk
with us when we are moving about the house or lawn, and keep a
possessive eye on us when other animals invade their territory.
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 But,
there are other kinds of animals such as service dogs that have
specific training and a specific job to do every day. This is the
story of two such dogs.
While both are of the canine species, they are different breeds.
While both have four legs, two ears and a tail, they also have
special skills that are unique to them.
Meet Ace.
Ace is a police officer with the Lincoln Police Department. He lives
in his off hours with his handler Officer Ryan Sullivan who is also
a husband and father, with young children and family pets. His
relationship with Ace is unique to him and the dog. While Ace lives
with the Sullivans, he is considered a working animal, not a family
pet, as becoming too domestic and friendly could harm his ability to
do his job, and could also deplete his ability to react to
aggressors.
Ace is the fourth service dog the Lincoln Police Department has had.
His primary job is to assist the department in drug related arrests.
He has been trained to have a keen sense of smell. He also has a
secondary responsibility to the officers in the department. He is an
aggressive attack dog, trained to assist his handler in subduing
suspects who are resisting arrest.
Many people have seen Ace in calm settings such as at
school assemblies or special demonstrations held by the LPD. And
those same people will tell you with confidence that Ace is a German
Shephard. He is not. Ace is a Belgian Malinois. While his coloring
is very similar to a German Shephard, his breed is lighter and
slightly smaller than a typical Shepard. According to Officer
Sullivan this is beneficial because Ace is fast on his feet, very
fast, and agile, quick to move and maneuver as needed to assist the
LPD in making an arrest.
Something else a bit unique about Ace is that he
understands multiple languages. As part of his training, Ace and
Officer Sullivan share unique words that are in another language.
The dog clearly knows what each word means and the action he is to
take accordingly. But Sullivan says it isn’t just the word, it is
the manner in which it is delivered. He said that he could tell any
of his fellow officers one of the command words, and that officer
could utilize the word, but if the command lacks a certain
intonation, Ace will not respond.
When Officer Sullivan spoke about Ace with Lincoln Daily News, he
was joined by Lincoln Police Chief Joseph Meister who noted that the
K-9 units the city have had over the years have been highly
effective in assisting with drug detection as well as offering
physical assistance with arrests as needed. He said the department
is better armed to detect drugs and apprehend violators thanks to
the K-9 units.
He also shared that there have been times, when just the promise
that the dog would be released to defend his officer has subdued
suspects and caused them to think twice about resisting arrest.
Chief Meister noted one occasion when he was inside a building with
a suspect. The suspect was looking to get away in any means
possible, but when Ace arrived on the scene and the suspect was
advised that the dog would pursue and subdue, the suspect decided
not to take the chance.
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Some may not know that Ace has a rather interesting
story of how he came to Lincoln. He was with another department back
in 2016. Though Chief Meister was not in his current position he was
in the department and knew the full story. The department had a K-9
vehicle that was on its last leg. The vehicle which is specifically
equipped for the dogs needed to be replaced. At the same time, the
department was looking for a dog to replace Duke, who had served
from 2006 to 2014. The presiding chief at the time responded to a
tip about a community that was selling their K-9 vehicle. A call was
placed and the question posed was a vehicle for sale. The answer was
“yes it is and it comes with a dog.” It turned out that Ace was that
dog, and it was his handler who was leaving the department first.
With no replacement at hand, the department was not going to be
keeping Ace.
When Ace arrived in Lincoln, he was assigned to Officer Sullivan and
the two have been partners for the last six years. Officer Sullivan
said that in that time, the two have been “deployed” 553 times.
Deployments are calls to service and could include helping to detain
a suspect, or an investigation for illegal drugs.
The two also go through 16 hours a month of
professional training, and in the years together have clocked 1,220
hours. Ace and Officer Sullivan both have to be certified as a K-9
unit. The certification is an ongoing requirement for the two and
Officer Sullivan said there are no gray areas, it is 100 percent
pass or fail, so it is important for the partners to work well
together and to continue to perform as expected.
Officer Sullivan shared that dogs such as Ace are usually retired
when they are still relatively young. He said many departments will
say that a dog should not work beyond the age of ten. With that in
mind, Ace may be retiring someday. Officer Sullivan was asked what
the future would hold for the dog once he is retired, and his answer
was firm. Ace will stay with his handler after retirement.
Regardless of when that may be, Officer Sullivan said the dog will
always be with him.
This has been the case with the department dogs over the years. Each
handler has chosen to keep their dogs and care for them and protect
them into their old age.
Asked if the dog would then become a family pet, Officer Sullivan
said no not in the conventional sense of the word. He said that he
has young children who have been taught all along that Ace is not a
plaything, and they understand that fully.
Officer Sullivan was asked if his family was on board with Ace
staying with them after retirement, and he said they were. He said
he has always known in his mind that Ace will retire in his care,
but he did one day think he should speak with his wife about it.
Officer Sullivan said she too loves animals, and when he brought it
up she simply said, “I always assumed Ace would stay with us.”
And just because Ace isn’t a pet, doesn’t mean he isn’t loved.
Officer Sullivan said Ace is his partner and his protector. As the
dog does age, Officer Sullivan will still be his partner, and at
that time, Ace’s protector.
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