Corporal Greg Hornkohl will soon be reporting for duty solo. For the last seven years, he’s been accompanied by Nico, his official K9 partner at the Leelanau Sheriff’s Office. The partnership will officially come to an end in early March, when a new dog will arrive to replace Nico. It will be partnered by another member of the department.

Nico will remain part of the Hornkohl family. On Tuesday, Jan. 12, the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the sale of Nico to Hornkohl for $1. Hornkohl says he gets along well with the rest of his family, including an eight-year-old German shorthair.

Nico had surgery last year to remove a benign tumor from his spleen. Following his recovery, he once again began accompanying Hornkohl at work, responding to home alarms, working with the narcotics unit and serving as backup whenever needed. Roughly half his service has been search and rescue (such as tracking lost children, persons with dementia who have wandered off, and lost hikers), with the remaining part divided between narcotics detection and training.

Hornkohl says Nico has slowed down but is still on the job. “He’s doing pretty good. He’ll be 10 in June. He comes to work with me in the morning, but on long weekends he’s just about had it by Sunday,” Hornkohl says. “We still train two times a month. He’s still sharp, just a little slower.”