Praise for pooch

Barely out of work nine months, Wood Dale's most recent retiree is already bored and depressed when he should be living the good life.

Canine officer Tommy, a 9-year-old full breed German shepherd, was forced into retirement as a result of degenerative arthritis.

But his handler, officer Pat Ludwig, said he could tell Tommy gets depressed when Tommy sees him put on his uniform and head to work.

"He's certainly not enjoying retired life like you and I plan to," Ludwig said Thursday after the city council voted unanimously to retire Tommy and hand him over to Ludwig and his family. "We're constantly taking him for walks, playing with him and trying to keep his mind stimulated and off work."

Ludwig's wife, Desiree', has even made Tommy his own bed, suitable for his 98 pound muscle mass, to help him relax and ease into retirement.

Since he joined the force in 1999, Tommy has been credited with many drug finds and has been involved in several operations.

Most notably, on Feb. 26, 2003, Ludwig and Tommy, in concert with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group, discovered 780 pounds of marijuana and 400 grams of cocaine valued on the street at $275,000 during an undercover operation. Tommy also located $247,900 cash during the same sting.

"When Tommy was in his prime, he was amazing. He just shined beyond belief," Ludwig said. "Seven, almost eight years, is a long time and it was a good run while it lasted. Now Tommy can just focus on being a dog."

And Ludwig can go back to being an officer and not an around-the-clock babysitter. He misses his partner but enjoys being able to be more relaxed on the job.

"He's always looking, always watching and on-edge so any time we were in public I would always be tense making sure nothing happened with Tommy," Ludwig said. "Now I can relax a little and enjoy a different aspect of the job."

Police Chief Frank Biniewicz said Tommy's contributions will be missed and Ludwig will be expected to help develop the next canine, which the department hopes to have sent from Germany and fully trained by early winter.

Officer Ryan O'Neal has already been named the department's next canine handler.

"It's a job for an aggressive officer that can handle the additional responsibilities of caring for the animal and able to get the most out of that animal while working as a team," Biniewicz said.

After officially accepting Tommy's retirement Thursday, aldermen voted unanimously to sell Tommy to Ludwig for $10, which was paid by First Ward Alderman Joe Kolz.

"Being a dog person I want to donate the $10 for him to buy the dog," Kolz said. "I'm not letting an officer, (who was) devoted to handling the dog, pay for it."