<p>CLEVELAND — The Ohio county sheriff and his tiny police dog were inseparable, their lives unwaveringly intertwined.</p>
<p>It thus seems fitting that retired Geauga County Sheriff Dan McClelland, 67, and his crime-fighting partner Midge, 16, would both die on Wednesday — McClelland, at a hospital after a lengthy battle with cancer and Midge, a few hours later at home, perhaps of a broken heart.</p>
<p>McClelland retired at the end of 2016 after 13 years as sheriff in this semi-rural county east of Cleveland. He spent 44 years total with the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office and a decade alongside Midge, a drug-sniffing Chihuahua-rat terrier mix certified by Guinness World Records in 2006 as the smallest police dog on the globe.</p>
<p>He and Midge — but especially Midge — were rock stars in Geauga County. Wherever McClelland went, Midge was by his side. At the office, she would nap on a dog bed beside his desk. Schoolchildren were enthralled during their visits.</p>
<p>McClelland’s successor, Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand, recalls driving a golf cart with McClelland and Midge in the passenger seat at the Great Geauga County Fair. He said it was a slow ride as people flocked to them, petting and fussing over Midge.</p>
<p>“He used to joke that people would see him in a parade in a car and would say, ‘Hey, there’s Midge and whatshisname,’" Hildenbrand said. “I think she was more popular him.”</p>
<p>Retired Lt. John Hiscox, a longtime spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, put it this way: “It was like bringing Elvis Presley to the midway."</p>
<p>Despite her size, Midge was no slouch when it came to her job. It was McClelland who decided that Midge, the runt of her litter, would make an ideal drug-sniffing dog. </p>
<p>Unlike large and more aggressive police dogs, the mild-mannered Midge would search vehicles without tearing up upholstery or leaving muddy footprints. Searching underneath vehicles was never a problem.</p>
<p>Their partnership led to appearances on daytime television talk shows and mentions in national magazines, including Playboy. She maintained her K-9 certifications until their joint retirement.</p>
<p>Hildenbrand said he was surprised when McClelland decided to retire and begin traveling the country in a recreational vehicle with his wife, Beverly, and, of course, Midge.</p>
<p>“He spent 44 years protecting people in this county and, quite frankly, he loved his job, every minute of it,” Hildenbrand said. "I thought he’d never retire.</p>
<p>McClelland was a good leader who always had the best interest of the county and community in mind, Hiscox said.</p>
<p>“He was fair and was not afraid to make a decision,” Hiscox said. “He was always willing to listen, but when he made a decision it was final.”</p>
<p>The family said McClelland and Midge will be buried together.</p>
