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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It's retirement day for one KCPD officer and his partner.

Now retired Officer David Edwards and his working dog Ike celebrated the milestone together on Friday. The pair have done most everything together, and now they can add retiring to the list.

"I've always liked dogs. It's always been fun, and started going out and volunteering working on my own time with them in the 90s, and wound up out there," Edwards said.

Edwards was with KCPD for 32 years, nine months and six days. He worked with dogs for nearly 30 years and had six partners. Ike the Belgian Malinois has been with him for seven.

Sgt. William Brown, Edwards' and Ike's supervisor, was sad to see them go.

"I think it's important because these dogs are our partners," Brown said. "They're with us 24 hours a day seven days a week. To see them grow together and leave together is really important."

Their badges were given to them in a shadow box in front of colleagues, family and friends. On the back of Edwards' badge is a heart sticker his daughter placed there more than two decades ago.

"Even as she got older it was still nice when you pinned a badge on another shirt. It was an immediate family connection," Edwards said.

"Sometimes you go through the day and you may not think about, 'Oh, I wonder what theyre doing.' When you put that on there its like, 'Man, I hope theyre OK. I gotta make sure theyre OK. I havent talked to them in a day or two.' So its a nice little reminder."

Edwards said he's going to enjoy a more slow-paced life with hunting, fishing and enjoying time with family, including his newborn granddaughter. However, he'll make sure Ike keeps busy.

"He never quits. He's going all the time," Edwards said. "He's searched a house three or four times in one setting. I can get him to lay down for 10 minutes, maybe, and then he's up searching the whole house again."

They're both reserve officers for the department now. David and Ike will be back when the department needs them, but for now they will have their cake and eat it, too.

"To watch them grow together and to watch them ride off into the sunset together, I don't think you could ask for anything more," Brown said.

"It was the best way to -- the only way to retire," Edwards said. "I can't imagine retiring without him. I don't think I would. I think I would keep working until he could retire."

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The only way to retire: Kansas City police officer and his K-9 partner retire together - WDAF FOX4 Kansas City