Kalamazoo honors canine hero

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A dog who risked his life to chase down bad guys was honored by city leaders in Kalamazoo.

On Monday night, the Kalamazoo City Commission issued a proclamation for a police dog named Ranger.

Never before has a K-9 received such an honor from Kalamazoo.

Officials from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety say Ranger had a great career, but suffered serious injuries when he was hit in the head while chasing a suspect a few years earlier, so now he's retiring from the police force.

"He's come to work with me for eight years, he's always been between me and the bad guy, he's always putting himself first to make sure I go home every night, now it's my turn to take care of him," said Marc Riffenberg of KDPS.

Officer Riffenberg was Ranger's partner, and now says his family is anxious to have Ranger as a stay at home dog.