Ruger visits with Pulaski County Circuit Court employee Hannah Rochelle Garner .
everywhere I go , except church ,” Allen stated . “ We are assisting other county jails with narcotic searches , jail searches for drugs and contraband . We also go to area drug rehab facilities to do searches and hopefully act as a deterrent for residents in those facilities .”
Even though Ruger has a serious job to do at the Pulaski County Detention Center and other statewide jails , he is a welcome sight for many of the local facility ’ s inmates .
“ We would run Ruger through the jail cells to sniff out contraband ,” Allen stated . “ The neat thing is that nearly every inmate wanted me to bring him in so they could just love on him . He is very ‘ therapeutic ’ for them .
“ Even though I am now working as a
CSO deputy for the Sheriff ’ s Office , every time we take someone into custody and go over to the detention center , the staff and inmates want me to bring him by for a visit ,” Allen chuckled .
Outside of Ruger ’ s law enforcement duties , he has become a popular dog around certain businesses in the Pulaski County area .
“ Wherever I go out in the public , people want to know about him and interact with him ,” Allen stated . “ His favorite local stops are Circle K and Paul ’ s Discount . Every time we go there , the employees want to pet him and take pictures with him . Just about every time we ’ re in Paul ’ s Discount , one of their employees has a turkey sandwich for him .”
Originally , Allen thought that Ruger might become a K-9 dog or a “ find and bite ” police dog . After seeing Ruger ’ s friendliness to humans and his gentle nature , Allen soon realized Ruger could better benefit the public as a service dog .
“ We are starting to look at doing an additional training program to have Ruger trained / certified as a therapy dog for inmates , special needs children / adults , and hospital patients ,” Allen explained . “ I love my dog just about as much as I love my family . As with every person , I believe that each dog has a purpose . Having a dog like Ruger gives us both a chance to give something back to others ... even if it ’ s just a happy wag of the tail .”
April 2023 SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky • 9