The Athens County Sheriff’s Office commemorates the loss of their K9 Unit Ryder after a house fire took his life.
The Athens County Sheriff’s Office published a news release on their Facebook page commemorating K9 Ryder, who died in house fire Thursday afternoon.
The home was owned by Sheriff’s Deputy John Kulchar, Ryder’s handler.
Bane, another canine in the house, also died.
Kulchar and Ryder formed the K9 unit for Athens County since July of 2013, according to the release. Ryder was a Belgian Malinois from France who was trained for duel purposes, narcotics and patrol duty.
“Deputy Kulchar brought this program to a new level,” Athens County Sheriff Rodney Smith said. “His dedication to this program is unmatched. We feel K9 and Deputy Kulchar working together has touched countless lives in Athens County.”
Kulchar said in the release that Ryder loved to visit with the kids at all the Athens County schools. K9 Ryder fought to keep the schools free of drugs, and was there to protect the kids in the Athens County community, according to the release.
“We, as a community, have suffered a great loss,” the release said. “We will always remember K9 Ryder, a hero among us all. He will never be forgotten.”
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