Trotting off into the sunset is not exactly what happened for Sarge, the Halifax Regional Police horse whose retirement ceremony was held on Tuesday.
Instead, in a snow-covered Halifax Grand Parade, officers honoured the horse’s 13-year-long career.
He’ll now be heading to a farm where he can freely roam several hundred acres of open space with other horses. His long-time rider called it the perfect retirement package.
READ MORE: Halifax police’s beloved horse Sarge retiring after 13 years of service
Sgt. Chris Marinelli has been with Sarge since the four-legged member first joined HRP’s mounted unit in 2006.
“He was six-years-old when he came to us and I was the first rider to ride him downtown. So, it was getting him used to his surroundings in every area that we went to and it was here in Halifax, Dartmouth, and Bedford,” he said.
From chasing down suspects of aggravated assault to taming the downtown bar crowd, Sarge has had a lengthy career keeping the community safe.
“Sarge has a special knack for diffusing incidents in the downtown Halifax bar district by barging his way between many angry people. Preventing assaults and injuries and usually got a pat on the neck by those same individuals as they left the area,” said Halifax police chief Jean-Michel Blais.
Sarge has spent the past 13 years of his life providing “high-visibility control” in the community and assisting officers with everything from catching suspects of aggravated assault to handing out parking tickets.
“We did everything that we normally do in a police car. We could give tickets, we could answer calls, we could move people around, we got to talk to the public, it was fantastic for that. People always wanted to see the horses,” Marinelli said.
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But Sarge’s long career has come to its logical conclusion.
“When they start mistaking fingers for carrots and they don’t have the same joy for the job anymore it’s time to retire,” Marinelli joked.
A new four-legged member of the force is set to take Sarge’s place. That horse’s name has yet to be revealed.