Ohio bomb detection dog passes away

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKBN) – Dodger, a detection canine for the State Fire Marshal (SFM) Fire and Explosion and Investigation Bureau, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 13.

Dodger was born in Ohio. Reports say that he made one last visit to the SFM Reynoldsburg campus this week to say goodbye to his SFM family.

“Dodger had been the backbone of our canine program for years,” said Kevin S. Reardon, State Fire Marshal. “This is a tremendous loss and we will certainly miss Dodger but he will live forever in our hearts,” Reardon said.

Dodger began his career in November 2010 as the first State Fire Marshal Explosive Detection canine. During his career, Dodger assisted in bomb threats, protection details, evidence searches and pre-event sweeps. Dodger worked on over 1,400 missions and served over 15,000,000 citizens.

Upon retirement, Dodger lived at his home in Blacklick, Ohio with his handler, Ron Stemen and his family.