The Jacksonville City Council saluted a four-legged community servant last Monday night. K9 Officer Ares was awarded a plaque for his service to the community.
Ares officially retired from duty two weeks ago after 5 years of service to the Jacksonville Police Department. Police Chief Adam Mefford says that Ares was injured in a training exercise a few years ago, but Ares’ relentless nature allowed him to return to duty: “One amazing thing about Ares is that we thought he would never be able to perform his duties again. However, he was able to return to duty and work up to the point where his injured paw and leg was giving him just a little too much trouble. We decided that for him to have a better quality of life and to thank him for his service to the community that we would go ahead and retire him while he has some good years left to enjoy.”
K9 Handler Sergeant Jordan Poeschel thanked the city council as did Ares last Monday night. Poeschel says becoming a K9 officer handler was one of the reasons he got into law enforcement: “I’m very grateful for my opportunities here in Jacksonville. It’s been a dream of mine to be a K9 handler. It’s one of the reasons why I got into this profession. This dog is absolutely relentless going through the injuries, coming out of it, still coming to work. If he had it his way, we would still be working now. Unfortunately, it’s just too much pressure on him. I’ve got a lot of appreciation for Chief Mefford and all of my superiors at the police department for having the faith in me to do this job and continue on in my new role helping out the new K9 handlers in the department. I’m very grateful for Ares, all of you, and the residents here in Jacksonville. Thank you.”
Poeschel is now advising the new K9 Officer Cyrus and his handler, who just started service earlier this year.