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Officer Marc Johnson
‘He served with love, loyalty, passion’: Retired K-9 dies, leaves huge (paw)print on community
A retired Duluth Police K-9 has died, leaving a huge (paw)print on the community’s heart. K-9 Oakley served the Duluth Police Department from 2012-2019. He was known as a dual-purpose dog, trained in both narcotics detection and human apprehension. He wore many hats and was part of numerous successful missions with the police force. K-9 Oakley was almost 11 years old. He was great with kids and enjoyed getting spoiled. K-9 Oakley’s longtime partner, and dog dad Marc Johnson, said: “One of the most powerful lessons Oakley taught me was how to serve others. For the better part of a decade, Oakley served the Duluth community with a fire that burned deep in his belly. As I began preparing for work each night, he’d anxiously wait for me by the door- refusing to be left behind and eager for another opportunity to protect his partners and safeguard his city. He served his community with love, loyalty, and a passion that could not be matched. He brought joy to thousands while simultaneously making Duluth a safer city in which to live. There was no greater joy for Oakley than to go to work with me and do what he loved doing most: protecting good and deterring evil. In return, he never asked for anything more than the occasional head scratch and a fresh tennis ball. He was the epitome of selflessness. Oakley would also quickly teach me how to be a proper leader. He showed me that ranks and titles are meaningless unless you use them to bolster those around you. He could have cared less that I was his “handler”. The title meant nothing to the dog and afforded me no loyalty through title alone. It wasn’t until he learned that I would care for him, support him, and trust him that he began working *for* me. Our bond was forged in a mutual respect for one another and belief in each other. He followed me into the darkest of nights with unknown threats looming knowing that no matter what happened, I would have his back. In turn, he readily offered me his unconditional and vigilant protection. Finally, he taught me that there was so much more to life than a forty hour work week. After retiring, Oakley initially struggled to find his place in a life without tracks, trainings and trials. Work was all that he had known to that point. His heart wanted to keep serving, but his body began showing a subtle reluctance. Not long into retirement, Oakley started seeing the many finer points in a life of leisure. He discovered the simple joy of an afternoon nap underneath a sun-filled window. He found that a morning hike through the woods was quite possibly more enjoyable than a midnight track of a fleeing felon. He enjoyed unfettered access to toys and treats rather than such luxuries being reserved only for a job well done. He not only began accepting his new retired life, he soon embraced it. A new dog emerged. He was calmer. He was happier. He lived a life that reminded me to slow down, to be present, and to never take the understated joys in life for granted. There’s a long-standing consensus among the K9 world that the dog is “the smart end of the leash”. I’ve never been more certain of that than I am now. For almost 11 years, I assumed I was the trainer and the teacher. Now that he is gone, I see just how mistaken I was to believe that. Perhaps it was always Oakley’s intention for this to be one last lesson he’d teach me. A final opportunity to show me who was truly running the show. Rest now, my friend. We are forever grateful for the light you provided in an often dark world.”
