The Wayne County Sheriff's Office has recently added two new K-9 units to the department.

K-9s Ruby and Romeo are the two newest additions to the force, joined by their handlers Deputy Megan King and Deputy Catlin Fitzgerald.

The two deputies also mark the first female K-9 officers in the department's history.

King, who is in her fourth year with the Sheriff's Office, is a lifelong Wayne County resident and dog lover who leaped at the opportunity to join Ruby on the road.

Ruby, a bloodhound who has undergone over a year of training already, will assist the Sheriff's Office and oth er local departments in tracking missing persons, criminal suspects, and other various search scenarios.

While the pair has only been together for a few weeks, King says they’ve already developed a special bond. Maintaining a close relationship with your partner is likely par for the course in law enforcement, but it’s essential for K-9 officers and their handlers. At the end of your shift, you go home together. It’s a serious personal commitment, but one King says she welcomed.

'I joined the Sheriff's Office be cause I knew I wanted to give back to the community I live in.'

Romeo, a 19 month-old black lab (and a very good boy), will join Deputy Fitzgerald in a variety of community outreach programs including time at the local children’s advocacy center and visits to area schools and organizations.

The pair will be heading to Florida in the next few weeks to become a cer- tified therapy team, and should begin visits around the County sometime in June. 'I’m

super excited to get out into the community,' Fitzgerald said, adding that she and Romeo bonded immediately as well.

Both dogs were donated to the Sher- iff's Office, and rely on support from local organizations and fund raising efforts, including an annual steak din- ner held by firefighters from Walworth, Rose and Fairville. The WCSO K-9 Unit’s 9th annual Steak Roast will be held on Sept. 20, 2023 and tickets will be on sale soon.

Lieutenant Joseph Roland, who oversees the K-9 units, alongside his furry companion Miso, says that even the dog food is courtesy of a donation from the Purina brand. In total, Wayne County now has five K-9 units serving the sheriff's office as well as assisting other local agencies across New York State.