Ruger

In 2011, Ruger was found as a stray on the streets of Baltimore City, and Theresa adopted him from American Belgian Malinois Rescue. They began training together the moment they met – and in 2013, they became a certified human remains detection team with Search and Rescue Dogs of Maryland (SARDOM). During his career, Ruger participated in many searches with law enforcement and other agencies in Maryland, DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania – including high profile missing person cases and the aftermath of the Ellicott City flooding. At one point, he was one of only a handful of dogs in the state who were qualified to do water searches. He also served as a search dog ambassador while doing demonstrations at various local events, such as the Woodland Beach Fire Dept.’s annual Fire Prevention Day. The decision to retire Ruger was a difficult one for his handler Theresa, because she knows he’s still MORE than willing to do his job. But at 13 years old, he has served his community for more than 10 years, so she felt it was best for him to retire before his hard working attitude starts to out weigh his physical abilities. It was bittersweet, but Ruger’s well being is her priority. So now Ruger lives a life of leisure – but he doesn’t know that! He and Theresa have continued their daily training as usual, but in a more relaxed way. Ruger also enjoys participating in dock diving and lure coursing competitions, and may be seen giving demonstrations at local events.