By BARBARA GREEN
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In January 2018 Montague County Sheriff K-9 Officers Chase and Ace hit the street to chase bad guys. They were a new team fresh out of training, ready to work, but a bit unsure about their new duties.
Pelton had two years of experience as a deputy and found himself intrigued when asked about becoming a K-9 officer. Ace and his partner made an instant connection when the two-year-old Belgian Malinois was chosen at the kennel. He was a natural at his new job.
One year later the pair has melded into a hard-working team with numerous large drug seizures and more than 50 arrests.
Sheriff Marshall Thomas said his original intent for a drug dog was as a tool for narcotics detection, as well as tracking and apprehension where needed. It was the first time in many years for the sheriff’s office to operate with a K-9 unit, and he is more than happy with the success of the team.
“It has turned out as I expected, we had some big seizures, one that was 400 pounds. They are a good team with a perfect personality for each other. They work really well together. We did some training with them last week with gunfire and I was able to see it firsthand,” said Thomas.

Read the full feature in the weekend News.