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Delaware County commissioners retire K-9 Hyde after dispute over past treatment
Summary
Sheriff Ray Thomas asked the board to retire K-9 Hyde due to heartworm disease; commissioners approved the retirement 2-1 after Commissioner Jake Callihan questioned paperwork claiming $5,000 in treatment that the dog’s vet said did not occur.
Sheriff Ray Thomas told the Delaware County Board of Commissioners on March 3 that K-9 Hyde is no longer serviceable because the dog has heartworms and the handler had treated the dog outside formal veterinary channels. Thomas said he wants the dog retired so the office can move on.
Commissioner Jake Callihan pressed for details and said he contacted the dog’s veterinarian, who reported no record of the $5,000 in treatment listed in submitted paperwork. Callihan said he wanted to know whether the treatment happened and, if so, who provided and paid for it. D.A. Doug Pewitt said the procedural record around county K-9s needs to be improved and noted the dogs have a short service life and are expensive to replace.
After discussion, Commissioner David Beck moved to retire K-9 Hyde; Chairman David Poindexter seconded the motion. The board approved the retirement 2-1, with Poindexter and Beck voting yes and Callihan voting no.
The board did not record further disciplinary or financial follow-up in the meeting minutes; Commissioner Callihan’s questions about the $5,000 treatment and whether the county’s procurement or inventory records reflected earlier dog purchases remained in the public record. The board’s formal action was limited to retiring the animal and closing the agenda item.
