Buena Vista County sheriff’s K-9 Ivan retires after years of service

Buena Vista County’s sheriff’s office is closing a long chapter with the retirement of Ivan, a Belgian Malinois who spent years as the department’s drug-detection K-9 and also helped with tracking and article recovery.

Ivan’s last day on duty was April 10, and the retirement was publicly announced April 16 after coworkers gave him a sendoff filled with gifts and attention. He had served Buena Vista County since 2021, first working with former Deputy Blake Wiley and then, starting in February 2023, with Deputy Carter Beckman.

Sheriff Kory Elston said Ivan’s work made a real difference in the county. “K-9 Ivan has played a vital role in removing illicit and dangerous drugs from our communities and making our communities a safer place,” Elston said. In a rural county where traffic stops, drug enforcement and property crimes can turn on a single find, a dog trained to sniff out narcotics or follow a trail can be a force multiplier for deputies on the road.

Ivan was not just a detector dog. His tracking and article-recovery skills gave deputies another tool when evidence, clothing or other items needed to be located quickly for an investigation. That kind of work rarely makes headlines, but it can shape the outcome of cases by helping officers connect a suspect, a scene and a set of physical clues.

Beckman, who has been listed by the sheriff’s office as serving since 2022 and as the department’s K-9 handler, will keep Ivan in retirement. The bond between handler and dog was part of what made the retirement especially personal for the office, which has leaned on a small number of specialized deputies and a donation-based K-9 program to fill an important public-safety role.

Elston has served in the sheriff’s department since 2000 and has been sheriff since 2014. Under his leadership, the K-9 unit has depended on public support, including a past donation from Storm Lake Honda that helped revive the program. The sheriff’s office is headquartered at 411 Expansion Blvd. in Storm Lake, where Beckman will continue on patrol as the county adjusts to life without one of its best-known working dogs.