Former Michigan police officer Hayden Wildfong has reunited with his K9 partner, Tamarack, following a contentious custody dispute with the City of Mason.
According to WILX 10, Wildfong received approval to officially adopt Tamarack Wednesday. He had been separated from him for weeks after he submitted his resignation from the police force.
For the past two weeks, Wildfong had been advocating to bring his pup home, but the city rejected both motions and sent Tamarack to the Ingham County Animal Shelter.
The city contended that the former handler couldn’t keep the dog after he was placed on leave and later resigned from his position. The city reportedly asserted that he acted irresponsibly by removing his gun belt and leaving it unattended during a visit to Mason High School.
Wildfong subsequently said his resignation was not voluntary; rather, he felt compelled to do so based on the belief that he would be allowed to take Tamarack with him.
The ongoing rejections sparked a public outcry throughout the city, leading dozens of community members to advocate for the reunion of the duo during city council meetings.
“This is one of the best feelings in the world, one of the best days of my life. I’ve put in countless hours of work with this dog, and we can finally close this chapter and move on,” Wildfong said.
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[Feature Photo: City of Mason]
