is saddened to announce the passing of one of their retired dogs they called "Ranger."
The once robust German Shepard was born on Jan. 18, 2001 under the registered name of “JoJo Von Ducati." In 2002 Ranger was sworn in by Sheriff Ted Paxton serving with the sheriff’s office until 2008.
Ranger died on Wednesday, March 28. During his tenure he assisted his handler, Corporal David Garrison.
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“Losing a dog that you raised from a puppy, trained daily, and worked with on a full-time basis is like losing your own child, he will be missed terribly” said Garrison.
Ranger proved to be a valuable and reliable assistant during countless narcotic searches, numerous narcotic finds, tracking of perpetrators, and searches for missing persons. One of the dog's largest "drug busts" was in May 2007 when his positive alert on a vehicle led to the arrest of multiple suspects and seizure of 200 kilos of cocaine.
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Throughout the years Ranger earned several titles including:
- Narcotic Dog
- Narcotic Dog 1
- Police Service Dog
- Police Service Dog 1
- Practical Protection Dog 1
He was certified through the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association and American Working Dog. In 2005, Ranger won first place in Patrol Dog Completion in Sevierville, Tenn.
Following Ranger’s retirement from the sheriff’s office, he served his later years as a therapy dog and continued to reside at the Garrison residence.
Corporal Garrison, now a member of the Traffic Specialist Unit, continues to assist with certifying the sheriff's office canines in areas of narcotic detection, tracking, and patrol apprehension.
