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Peng joined the Celina Police Department on April 24, 2016.
CELINA - After nine years of sniffing out narcotics, tracking down suspects and conducting all-around exemplary community service, Celina Police Officer Peng has earned his gold watch, officially retiring at the end of December.
The pointy-eared, long-tongued K9 hailing from Germany will live out the rest of his life with his long-time partner, Sgt. Gabe Bartlett and his family.
"Over the years Peng proved to be a vital member of the department in combating narcotics and tracking suspects, in the city and surrounding area. Peng also gained a few friends along the way," the police department said in a statement.
Celina Police Officer Peng officially retired at the end of December. The pointy-eared, long-tongued K9 hailing from Germany will live out the rest of his life with his long-time partner, Sgt. Gabe Bartlett and his family.
Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel said once the police department is brought back to a full-working staff, the city will look to replace Peng. Police chief Tom Wale noted that will probably happen in 2026.
The police department acquired Peng in early 2016 when the German shepherd was 20 months old. Tom and Betty Leininger and Craig and Kathryn Kennedy donated more than $11,000 for his purchase.
"The benefactors of Peng … gifted the city an incredible resource with Peng, which has been an invaluable member of the police department," Hazel told The Daily Standard.
Celina Police Officer Peng and his long-time partner, Sgt. Gabe Bartlett and his family at an earlier date.
Peng's first day on the job was April 24, 2016, after he completed training at the Von Der Haus Gill Canine Academy near Wapakoneta.
He was selected by the department because of his friendly temperament, Wale told The Daily Standard back in May 2016.
Though he knows when it's time to go after crooks or search out drugs, Peng is extremely well-behaved and kind to children, a quality Wale had said he was looking for in the search for a new dog as the K9 unit often visits schools and attends all major community events.
Peng was partnered with Bartlett - now a nearly two-decade veteran of the force - and the two have remained virtually inseparable.
Wale had sought out volunteers within the force to partner with Peng. Bartlett was an ideal choice because of his unflagging willingness to respond to calls, Wale said.
"He's got the right attitude," Wale said at the time. "That dog is with him more than anybody in the world. There's so much time that the officer basically donates."
Wale said that though it may seem like a glamorous job, being a K9 handler requires lots of work, time and even personal property.
"It does take a lot of time. It takes a lot of effort and quite honestly it takes a lot of time on their own," Wale had noted. "When the dog's at home, he can't just let him do what he wants to do. You're still working with that dog every day. The dog still occasionally gets sick in the house or chews up his pillows or something - and that's all stuff that comes out of the handler's pocket."
City councilors in 2018 used donations to purchase a collar that tracked and documented Peng's every move.
"We can show a judge or jury on a screen exactly why this dog did what it did and where it went," Wale had explained. "It's a good graphic for a jury to have and good documentation for our reports."
The dog packs a powerful bite, so much so that he injured himself during his first year on the job and needed to have a double root canal and his teeth capped with titanium.
Wale wasn't sure exactly how or when the dog was injured, but at a council meeting years ago said the issue was discovered when Peng was having his teeth cleaned and X-rayed while unconscious, just after having been neutered.
Prior to Peng, K9 Ted was on the police department's payroll. In addition to drug enforcement and tracking, the department's K9 unit in the past has helped locate lost citizens and several years back saved the life of a woman who wandered away from a nursing home, according to Wale.
