A retired K9 officer is hoping to find a new home in Ulster County, New York. According to the Ulster County Canines in Saugerites, Ryker the Rottweiler is seven years old, served in the K9 narcotics detention program for five years in Texas, and just one month ago he retired.
Ryker’s former police department did not have a home situation that suited the dog’s retirement.
Five years ago, in January 2019, Ryker was brought into the non profit rescue and saved from euthanasia. He originally had two homes; the first home purchased him from a breeder in Europe for $8,000. It was shortly after, that Ryker had a difficult time getting along with the other dog in the household. His second home owner bought him for $5,000, but Ryker allegedly nipped a ten-year-old child; which then resulted in him being sent to a shelter. Too often, any dog with a bite history is euthanized once surrendered to the shelter.
The founders of the Ulster County Canines, Jamie Stech and Adam Saunders, rescued Ryker, along with some other dog recruits and took them cross country, to enter into a fledging program at Sector K-9; designed to place shelter dogs into police work.
Ryker graduated from Sector K-9 with honors and entered service; he excelled at his work, deployed both in his county and in neighboring counties.
Well, all good things come to an end, and Ryker’s active duty days came to a close. Sector K9, eternally an advocate for their graduates, and Animal Farm Foundation, who sponsored his training, collaborated with UCC to bring him home. Retirement in America’s south, for dogs anyway, isn’t as rosy as it may be for people. He needed to come home, so home he came, hitching a ride on a northern puppy transport and putting feet to familiar ground here at UCC a few days later.
So now that Ryker is back – all 85 pounds of him, he instantly recognized some of his old friends and has been ignoring all of the attention. Ryker prefers to gnaw on his “bities” and romp through the expansive yards at Ulster County Canines, catching tennis balls as they fly through the air. He will stuff two or three in his mouth at once, to ensure no tossed ball is left behind.
Are you wondering what kind of a family would be perfect for this retired but very lively guy? According to the staff, he loves to please and would do best in a home by himself without the distractions of cats or young children. Of course, it is preferred his new family has experience with the breed.
Ryker understands basic commands and is both crate and kennel trained.
If you are interested in meeting this amazing boy, please fill out an application at ulstercountycanines.com.
You are one super pup Ryker, and we are glad you have not been left behind. No doubt, we are slightly disappointed no officers who partnered with him for all these years were able to offer him a loving home, but we are ecstatic and confident Ryker will soon find the perfect retirement home.
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