More than 5,000 people are demanding that a K9 police dog be allowed to retire with his longtime handler — part of a larger outrage over the animal’s temporary stay in a North Carolina shelter.
The clamor started Thursday when former Dunn police officer Nathan Ingram posted a picture of “Pac Man” on Facebook, declaring, “I’m really going to miss this dog right here!
“He has been right by my side for the past three years. It has been the best three years of my career working you and having you as my partner. Keep working hard buddy!!!”
As friends offered sympathy, Ingram further explained, “We sure do have a bond. He is the Department’s k9 and unfortunately at his age he was not let to retire.”
Social media outcry and petition
Ingram’s post prompted dog lovers across North Carolina to circulate photos of Pac Man, insisting that he had been abandoned at the county’s shelter rather than continuing life with his handler.
A petition on change.org described Pac Man as a 7-year-old canine with medical issues, including a bad leg, and that the department had declined Ingram’s offer to buy him.