“When the harness went on, he knew it was time for work.” ~ Tim Reeves
K-9 Officer Ron retired in September after working for Quapaw Nation since January 2015, with handler and best buddy Tim Reeves. Ron specializes in ignitable liquids, also known as accelerants. He has assisted numerous Native American tribes and many cases with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Ron has put numerous criminals behind bars for their crimes, even considered an expert witness. Ron’s pay-off for a job well done is his favorite toy called a kong, which is essentially a rubber toy with a hole in the middle that treats can be put into for dogs who like to chew.
“Our morning routine starts with the alarm clock going off, I take Ron outside, then off to work," said Reeves. “Now that Ron is staying home instead of going to work with me, Ron is confused.”
Ron was purchased by Quapaw Nation in 2014 at two and a half years of age and was the second dog in Oklahoma to specialize in ignitable liquids. From 2019 to earlier this year, Ron was the only dog with his specialty in the state. One of his most significant accomplishments was testifying in court against a man who was found guilty of starting a fire in a double homicide case. Ron testifies in court by his handler demonstrating different fire scenarios and letting the K-9 find the location of the accelerant in the burnt item displayed.
“Ron was originally a seeing-eye dog and flunked out because he pulled too hard,” Reeves chuckled. “Bullock K-9’s bought him off of the seeing-eye Kennel and trained him in accelerants.”
It appears Ron was destined to do bigger things and accelerants were his calling. In 2016 Ron became certified in tracking and trailing. With Ron’s loving and work-motivated personality, this was a great addition to his work profile. Tracking and trailing is used to find missing persons, whether they are an elderly person with dementia who forgot their way home or a missing child. Upon meeting new people, Ron will sniff their feet because that is how he is trained to track. Even off the job, Ron puts himself on duty.
Ron would often be taken to area elementary schools for different programs and show and tell to teach the kids about what Ron’s job was. Tim would go on to say that Ron, as well as himself, had helped a lot of children get past the fear of dogs. It was a rewarding experience to see a child who was once afraid of Ron be so eager to see him as they grew. In photos of Ron with the school children, it shows how much Ron loved the attention, maybe even more than the children.
“I would hear a thousand dog stories but I loved it anyway,” said Reeves.
This October, Ron turned ten years old and is starting to have some health issues common for a dog his age. Every year the K-9 would be required to re-certify on his specialties. Ron would always certify at 100 percent, but this year he scored a 93 when testing. Rather than risk Ron missing crucial evidence and possibly affecting his health, Tim Reeves and the Marshal’s department decided it was best for Ron to retire. K-9 Ron’s dedication and love for his job helped serve justice and made many happy. Best wishes on your retirement K-9 Officer Ron. May your days be filled with car rides and a lot of playtime with your kong toy.
