Sheriff's office K-9 Ranger returns to work after cancer treatment

    PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Monday is National Dog Day and the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office is celebrating with a very special member of its force.

K-9 Ranger, a bloodhound, is back at work after receiving treatment for oral melanoma.

"Being that he was only 8 years old and the area that it was in and the progress, they thought that the best option was to go ahead and have him treated," said Deputy Jeff Belback, Ranger's handler.

Ranger was sent to Virginia for special treatments, which included surgery and electrochemotherapy. Now, five months after that treatment, Ranger, an invaluable asset, has returned to work.

"Each person's scent to Ranger is kind of like their fingerprint. Everybody is a little different," Belback said.

Ranger once found and saved a teenager who was experiencing a mental health crisis. Another time, he sniffed out an 82-year-old woman with Alzheimer's who was lost and could have easily died if not found.

"I think we were able to secure a pillowcase that she used. She was from out of town, she was recently here, so luckily we found something with her odor on it, presented it to Ranger and took off through the woods where she was located," Belback said.

It only took about 20 minutes for Ranger to track her, Belback said.

Moving forward, Ranger will still need shots for the rest of his life. His boss, Sheriff Kevin Kraus, says that whatever it takes, Ranger is worth it.

"What this dog has done for this office is astounding," Kraus said.