COLUMBUS, Ohio – “Dodger,” an explosive detection canine for the State Fire Marshal (SFM) Fire and Explosion Investigation Bureau, made one last visit to the SFM Reynoldsburg campus this week to receive “good boys,” “thank yous,” and a fond farewell from his SFM family prior to passing away on Tuesday.
“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.”
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 different types of explosives, firearms, and post-blast debris and supported missions with Homeland Security and other law enforcement functions throughout Ohio.
During his career, Dodger assisted in several bomb threats, protection details, evidence searches and pre-event sweeps. Upon retirement, Dodger lived at his home in Blacklick, Ohio 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:
• Missions: 1,438
• Demonstrations: 287
• Finds: 387
• Citizens Served: 15,575,923
