Pine Grove Kennels

05/27/2025

K9 Attila.

05/09/2025

05/09/2025

02/25/2025

K9 Bora Officially Retires 🐾

Sheriff Rodney Smith is honored to announce the official retirement of K9 Bora, who completed her distinguished career at the end of 2024.

Born on January 1, 2015, in Germany, K9 Bora traveled to Athens County, Ohio, where she served and protected its citizens with unwavering dedication. In the spring of 2016, she arrived in Southeast Ohio and underwent training at Pine Grove Kennels in Meigs County under Master Trainer Steve Heater. That summer, K9 Bora and her dedicated handler, Joel Banks, received certification from the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission in criminal apprehension, tracking, article searches, and the detection of ma*****na, co***ne, he**in, methamphetamine, and their derivatives.

Initially assigned to afternoon patrol, K9 Bora later became a key member of the Athens County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Interdiction Team, a specialized unit comprised of two deputies and K9 Bora. This unit focused on high-crime areas, working diligently to curb drug trafficking and engage with local communities to address the county’s drug crisis.

One of the most significant highlights of K9 Bora’s career was the detection and seizure of 132 kilos (291 lbs.) of co***ne from an unauthorized aircraft that landed at Ohio University Airport in 2017. The two individuals involved ultimately plead guilty in Federal Court to Trafficking Narcotics. At the time, it was the largest recorded drug seizure in Ohio history south of Interstate 70.

Career Achievements:
• 4,662 traffic stops conducted
• 558 individuals arrested on outstanding warrants
• 131 fi****ms seized and removed from the streets
• 1,568 drug charges filed
• $103,637 in drug-related currency seized
• 1,355 drug cases resulting in the seizure of illegal narcotics with a total street value exceeding $6,076,555

K9 Bora’s career was not without challenges. She survived a vehicle rollover crash and endured a venomous snake bite while assisting with a crash scene, requiring emergency treatment at Ohio State Animal Hospital.

Beyond her law enforcement duties, K9 Bora has been a beloved member of the community. She frequently attended parades, school visits, and public events, making a lasting impact on the children of Athens County - especially at Alexander Local School District, where she enjoyed greeting students in hallways and classrooms.

As K9 Bora enters retirement at the age of 10, she remains in good health and looks forward to spending her days playing, swimming, and basking in the sun. Please join us in expressing our deepest gratitude for her years of dedicated service and wishing her a well-deserved, peaceful retirement.

12/26/2024

K9 Ozna. Washington County Sheriff’s Office, OH.

$11,688 cash
23 grams of fentanyl
1 gram of co***ne

12/18/2024

K9 Caesar. Ravenswood PD

11/16/2024

The class did mock traffic stops today. All the dogs did great!

09/24/2024

Drago has been with Sergeant Phillips since 2018, and since then, they have been inseparable.

09/18/2024

Great job K9 Garo!

In the early morning hours of Wednesday 9-18-2024, at about 1:03AM, an employee of Speedway Convenience store on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Wellston, called the Wellston Police Department and reported that she had just been robbed, and that she recognized the suspect and knew his name. She described his clothes and said that he left the store with the money, on foot, heading westbound. Officers responded to the scene and area, looking for Ross. Wellston PD Officers and Canine Garo located the suspect on the railroad tracks at about 1:23AM, just south of 13th Street.

Arrested was Joshua Lee Ross, age 34, of Wellston. Ross was charged in the Jackson County Municipal Court with Robbery and Theft, and incarcerated in the Jackson County Correctional Facility.

*As always, all suspects/arrestees, are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law*