Warner Robins Police K9 retires after nine years on the force: Dixo hangs up the leash

WARNER ROBINS — K9 Dixo has officially retired from the Warner Robins Police Department and the city celebrated his acheivement during its most recent council meeting.

Dixo is a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix. His handler, Sgt. Shane Mann, said working with him was the best job on the force.

Mann has been in law enforcement since 1994, and was paired with Dixo in 2017.

“It was one of my career goals, so I put in for it, studied, and did some training with some other handlers on my own time. The opportunity presented itself and I was chosen,” Mann said.

Imported from Slovakia, Dixo and Mann met in Sanford, North Carolina. There, both canine and handler go through training for upwards of 12 hours a day in a month-long program.

Then, Mann and Dixo had to pass local-level certifications. On the job, they attended training twice a month and attended the South Georgia K9 Seminar in November to renew their tracking and apprehension certifications.

All the training created a bond between the two and led to results.

“The whole time you are working with your dog, and he’s looking at you, you’re looking at the dog. It’s constant. You’re playing, you make everything into a game and the dog likes that,” Mann said.

On the job, Dixo was motivated by treats tailor made for each task. Mann said he responded to affection and apprehension was the reward in and of itself.

“It’s constant praise you’re in once you get released to start working the dog,” Mann said. 

Mann said Dixo’s day started with plenty of playtime before heading to work.

On the job, Mann would vet calls and respond where Dixo would be useful. They also assisted other agencies with drug and missing person tracking.

But Dixo didn’t sit in the car all day; like humans, he needed a break, too, Mann said.

“If you can find a good area with no other dogs, cats or wildlife, you throw the toy for him, let him run, let him get some energy out, then you get back in your vehicle and go back to answering calls,” Mann said.

Mann said Dixo was a pick-me-up on harder shifts and a great way to be engaged with the public, especially during demonstrations and response.

“I find during traffic accidents with young kids, they’re scared. … [Dixo] helps cheer the kids up. They sit there, play with him. All of our dogs are social until it’s time not to be. It’s a really good engagement as far as community policing,” Mann said.

On duty, and off duty, Dixo was described as a social and lovable dog.

“He’ll come up and go ‘Pet me.’ He’s supposed to be this big bad police dog, but he’ll roll over and say, ‘Rub my belly.’ He does know when it’s time to work, but at home he’s a dog,” Mann said.

Mann said Dixo has a funny quirk on the job and he loves to steal toys and food at home.

“He’ll be quiet when he’s in the vehicle, but if you get close, he’ll ambush you. He’ll wait until you get real close and then let out a bark. It scares some folks a few times,” Mann said.

Mann and Dixo have been working together for nine years. Although Dixo is still in good health, he’s close to the end of the 10-year typical working time for police dogs. Retirement was chosen to stay ahead of the curve.

“You don’t want to work them until retirement, and then two weeks later they can hardly move. You want to give them some time to make that transition from being a working police dog to a pet,” Mann said.

After retirement, Dixo will stay with Mann and have free reign of the house. He said Dixo has already picked his favorite resting spot, and his son will be more than happy to chase him with toys.

Mann is now working in investigations and said it’s tough not having his partner with him. But as he reflects on the best job he’s had in the force, he was more than grateful for their time working together.

“I appreciate everything [he’s] done,” Mann said, “I appreciate all the help [he’s] given me and thank [him] for the loyalty.”