WilCo Sheriff's K9 Missed By Former Handler, Family

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — A key item on the Williamson County Commissioners Court agenda that had been scheduled for Tuesday — the sale of a retiring police canine to a handler for $1 — was abruptly pulled from discussion at the request of the sheriff, a county spokesperson confirmed.

Community members were poised to hear about the plans to sell Axel, a service dog for the sheriff's office, for the token amount to ensure the animal lived out its remaining years with a handler. The issue was arguably the most resonant for community members in an otherwise mundane meeting, as reflected by the outlined agenda items up for discussion.

But on Monday, Patch was told Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody asked for the item to be pulled by discussion, and the county complied.

"Yes, the agenda item will be pulled at the sheriff’s request," WilCo spokeswoman Connie Odom confirmed in an email to Patch. "The Sheriff’s Office canine program is primarily funded by the sheriff’s seizure funds, and not through the county budget, so the Commissioners Court does not need to approve the retirement and sale."

See Williamson County Commissioners Meeting video

Patricia Gutierrez, the public information officer for the sheriff's office, said she would seek more information as to why Chody had the item pulled from discussion: "I’ll check on this and advise," she said in a Tuesday morning email in responding to queries from Patch.

Despite Chody's efforts in pulling the agenda item, community members were poised to address the matter during the portion of the meeting allowing residents to address commissioners on a range of issues. The reason for the interest in what appears to be merely a heartwarming agenda item is that the issue is rooted in Chody's firing of canine unit officers about six months ago after he perceived their messages on personal cell phones to be disparaging to the chain of command.

One of those deputies ensnared in the disciplinary action was Aaron Skinner, a former deputy who was among those fired who had main responsibility for Axel's care. In a telephone interview with Patch, Skinner described how the animal had become part of his family — going home with him each night after having spent the day safeguarding the streets.

Former Williamson County Sheriff's Office deputy Aaron Skinner poses with Axel, the retiring K9 over which he had stewardship. Courtesy photo.

Skinner told Patch how his young son — adopted by Skinner and his wife to rescue him from a drug-infested household at the age of five — had grown deeply attached to the dog before the sheriff sent his subordinates to unceremoniously remove him from his home.

Plans now call to give the dog to another deputy, Derek Garretson, who recently began to care for the animal as its handler after Skinner was fired. Skinner told Patch his son's trauma of growing up in a household where meth was used had traumatized the child, and the affectionate bond with Axel had helped him in his recovery.

Skinner on Monday alerted Patch his wife would read a statement on his behalf at Tuesday's meeting. At the gathering, she briefly addressed commissioners, describing how the animal was abruptly removed from the back seat of the family's car where the dog was sitting next to her son. She expressed hope the animal would go to a loving home, if not theirs.

"Axel does deserve to retire," Skinner's wife told commissioners after expressing the strong affection the family had developed for the animal. "He was an excellent working dog."

In an interview with Patch, the deputy was more strident in describing Chody's directive to remove the animal from his home. After his text messages emerged, Chody summarily fired the deputy — a former supporter who worked on Chody's campaign to get him elected to office — after a little more than two years on the job.

"These days, we take our dogs home," the former deputy said, describing how police canine handlers virtually adopt their service animals in providing stewardship. "Our dog slept in the house — in my bed, in my son's bed. There was never a minute that I was not with that dog."

Along the way, deep affection grew for the Belgian Malinois, a breed of canine known for forging an unbreakable bond with its human partner. That deep connection was made in the course of the deputy's brief tenure at the WilCo sheriff's office before he was fired over the text messages, he said.

"Two years doesn't sound like a long time, but when that animal is with you 24/7, you do develop a bond," Skinner said. "He's your protector, you're his protector."

Describing himself as a "country boy," Skinner conveyed how he's acclimated other dogs to the hunting life. But the bond developed with Axel was different, a connection made stronger with the effect the dog's constant presence had on his once-traumatized son.

"This is a whole different thing," the former deputy told Patch, contrasting Axle with the other dogs he's cared for in the past. "I adopted my son, who's now 10 years old, when he was 5 years old out a very bad, drug situation. And that dog, I believe, was the glue that mended my son and his reality and trauma," he said, recalling how his son would play hide-and-go-seek with the dog he described as very intelligent.

"Even though my son doesn't react to a lot because of what he's been through, I know it affected him losing that dog."

Asked if Chody knew of the positive impact the dog had on his family — particularly his son — Skinner said the sheriff didn't only know but capitalized on his son's relationship with the canine, posting photos on social media.

Nevertheless, Skinner added, the sheriff directed subordinates to retrieve the animal from the Skinner household: "Not only did he know that, but he encouraged all that with all the pictures he created," Skinner said. "He got the most likes from that."

The sheriff's office did not respond to a Patch request for comment.

Patch obtained screen shots Chody used of Skinner's son with Axel, utilized as feel-good content on his official Twitter account in which he referred to the retiring K9 as the young boy's canine brother: