Cleveland County drug dog retires

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

SLAUGHTERVILLE, Okla. -- He's a lean, mean, canine machine but his days as a Cleveland County K-9 may be numbered.

A recent injury may mean he can no longer take a bite out of crime. Pyro has lots of bark, but what about his bite?

"He has never had to," Pyro's handler, Sgt. Tommy Edwards said. "He has stopped them from running for sure."

Pyro is a Belgian Malinois, and when it comes to hounding drug dealers, he's the leader of the pack.

"He found a kilo and a half of cocaine once in a house on a search warrant, that was pretty exciting," Edwards said.

His handler's house caught on fire recently, and he was trapped inside for several minutes. Since then, Pyro has struggling with lung problems. Those injuries may hasten Pyro's retirement. After all, he's not a pup anymore.

"He's getting to the age that he'll need to be retired, and we are checking out various options and looking for replacements," Cleveland County Sheriff's office Captain Doug Blaine said.

Pyro is restricted to light duty now, but he's still ready to take a bite out of crime.

A replacement for Pyro will cost Cleveland County at least $5,000.