Auction of police dog stirs controversy in southern Ohio

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Dollars are pouring in to a GoFundMe account to help a retiring Marietta, Ohio police officer purchase his K-9 partner.

Officer Matthew Hickey has had K-9 Ajax for the past 4 years working alongside each other keeping Marietta safe. Officer Hickey has recently retired from the Marietta Police Department after over 30 years of excellent service to the city. Originally the city gave Hickey the ability to "purchase" Ajax for $3,500, but then rescinded the offer. Now Ajax is being put up for auction to the highest bidder. This campaign is aimed to assist the Hickeys be able to bid on Ajax in the upcoming auction. Any funds that are left over after bidding on Ajax will be donated to a K-9 fund to the purchase of bullet resistant vests for our Law Enforcement Officers furry partners.

The GoFundMe account was posted on Jan. 28 and had raised over $60,000 by Monday morning.

Since the story has gone viral, the town of Marietta has gotten so many comments on the city’s Facebook page that they posted a request that comments be sent via e-mail.

There’s no word on when the auction might be held. Here's the link to the GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/yumeagsk

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