Omaha police dog remembered for his fun personality and dedication to the job

From February 2014 to March 2022, the Belgian Malinois assisted officers sniffing out illegal drugs and apprehending criminals. After he retired, there was hardly ever a moment where Tye wasn’t by the side of his handler and caretaker Officer Jodi Sautter.

After Tye retired from the police force, Sautter purchased him from the city and took him home to live with her, her wife Amy Oetter, and their three French Bulldogs.

After years of never showing weakness — Tye even sauntered through a broken back — the dog’s health issues became too much to overcome. Sautter made the difficult decision to have a veterinarian euthanize Tye on Sept. 13. Sautter said the 11-year-old dog suffered from kidney failure and pancreatitis, among other health issues.

A longtime pet owner in her personal life, Sautter said Tye’s absence hits differently.

“This dog had not only saved my life several times, but also other officers’ lives,” Sautter said.

Smaller than the average police dog in stature — Tye only weighed 67 pounds while Sautter said typical police dogs weigh at least 80 pounds — Tye could do things other police dogs couldn’t.

“He was quite a bit more agile. He could jump high. He was very fast,” Sautter said. “It was easier to get him in and out of an attic than it was to get a bigger dog.”

At several points during his career, Tye went into dangerous situations.

In one incident, Sautter recalled, Tye’s brain swelled when a violent suspect hit him on the head with a pole. After spending two days in the emergency room, Tye went right back to work.

In another incident, Tye went into a cubbyhole to flush out a gun-wielding suspect. By the force of his strong bite, Tye made the suspect drop the gun and allowed police officers to arrest him.

At the police station, Tye enjoyed running around and playing with the police officers at the station. He also allowed schoolchildren to pet him. An X account showing photos of Tye’s gentle nature has about 10,000 followers.

“He wasn’t an aggressive dog by any means,” Sautter said. “When it was time to work, he was very focused. He did his job very well.”

Even while on the job, Tye had a keen understanding of threat assessment — sometimes to his own detriment.

Sautter recalled one incident where police went to a house to execute a search warrant. In the house were two cats. The cats did not take kindly to a dog coming into their territory. One cat responded by attacking Tye, who offered no resistance.

“He just stood there — just getting beat up by a cat,” Sautter recalled, laughing. “I had to go in there, get the cat and move it so Tye could continue to search.”

Tye’s genteel yet focused nature reminded Sautter of Tye’s namesake, the late Sgt. Jason “Tye” Pratt. Pratt was shot by a man fleeing from a traffic stop on Sept. 11, 2003. Pratt died eight days later.

When Sautter named the dog after her friend and colleague, she did not know their personalities would be so similar.

As the canine’s personality evolved, Sautter said, “It was funny because it was like Jason. When Tye walked in, everybody loved playing with him. He brought smiles to everyone’s faces.”

The timing of Tye’s and Pratt’s deaths a generation apart was not lost on Sautter, who described it as a full-circle moment.

Sautter, who is now a member of the police department’s Metro Fugitive Task Force, has no plans to get another police dog. The 22-year Omaha police veteran described the job of a K9 handler as a “very physical job.” She also doesn’t believe she would bond with a new police dog as well as she did with Tye.

“Tye was so good, so easy to train and so good at his job,” Sautter said. “I felt like I wouldn’t give the new dog a fair shake and I probably wouldn’t get along with it because it would make me angry when he couldn’t do things Tye did.”

Although Tye’s death is still fresh and Sautter misses his companionship, things are getting a little easier as more time passes. Sautter said she appreciates the outpouring of public support and stories she has received since Tye’s death. She was also touched when the police department’s K9 unit came to the veterinarian’s office to bid farewell to Tye in his final moments.

“It was good, good send off,” Sautter said. “It’s nice knowing he’s not in pain anymore.”