Dodger, an explosive detection canine for the Ohio Fire Marshal’s fire and explosion investigation bureau, made one last visit to the Reynoldsburg campus this week to receive good boys, thank you, and a fond farewell from his family prior to passing away yesterday.
“Dodger had been the backbone of our canine program for years,” said Kevin Reardon, State Fire Marshal. “This is a tremendous loss, and we will certainly miss Dodger but he will live forever in our hearts.”
Dodger was born in Ohio and was rescued from the greater Cincinnati area before starting his career in November 2010 to become the first State Fire Marshal explosive detection canine.
Dodger was trained to detect many types of explosives, firearms and post-blast debris and supported missions with Homeland Security and other law enforcement functions throughout the state.
During his career, the canine assisted in several bomb threats, protection details, evidence searches and preevent sweeps.
Upon retirement, Dodger lived at his home in Blacklick, with his handler, Ron Stemen and his family. Dodger was an asset to the safety of all the citizens of Ohio. He was 13 years old.
Dodger’s career statistics include:
•1,438 missions
•287 demonstrations
•387 finds
•15,575,923 citizens served.
