COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Richland County Sheriff's Department's Region 6 deputies recently rescued a down-and-out dog who is now part of the law enforcement family.
"He's just become a part of the region, he's part of the family here. We hang out with him, he hangs out with us. It's a good break to the monotony of what we do sometimes," Lt. Karen Gilman of Region 6 said.
From rags to wags, Ryder is now a member of the Richland County Sheriff's Department Region 6 family.
"When coming home or to work back to the region and he's here, it just makes it a little bit better, just makes living and working a lot better just to know he's here waiting for you to come back from a bad day before you go home. It's just wonderful," Deputy Matthew Smith of Region 6 said.
This pup with a tough past was found wandering the streets by a Richland County deputy, and injuries found on him led vets to believe Ryder escaped a dog fighting ring.
"He had scrapes on his face, on the sides of his body, and you could tell he had some little healing marks that could be bite marks," Gilman said.
Ryder joined the Region 6 family in August and now calls their headquarters home.
"He's our little rider. He rides with us, he's our coworker, our partner" Smith said.
The sheriff's department said Ryder will not go into official K-9 training. He will be the Region 6 Headquarters office pet.