Clark County adds Pyro, explosive-detection K-9 for patrol support

Pyro did not arrive as a ceremonial addition. After two months of intensive training, the new explosive-detection K-9 went straight into patrol support with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, paired with Deputy Brandon Baldwin, who earned state certification alongside the dog.

The department said Pyro is trained in explosive detection, article searches and human tracking, a mix that gives the dog more range than a single-purpose bomb-sniffing assignment. In Clark County, where wooded stretches and rural terrain can slow ground searches, that kind of nose work can matter quickly when someone is lost or in distress. It also fits the sheriff’s office’s broader K-9 mission, which answers calls for service daily and is already used for public demonstrations, tracking dangerous armed suspects and detecting illegal substances.

Sheriff Christopher Clark, a 28-year law-enforcement veteran who joined the office in 1997, has built much of his career through patrol, jail administration, training, professional standards and special operations. Under his leadership, the sheriff’s office said the K-9 program continues to expand, with Pyro and Baldwin adding another layer to a unit that already functions as a practical field tool rather than a specialty side project.

The deployment is especially significant in Mad River Township. The sheriff’s office has a contract to permanently assign Baldwin there, which means Pyro’s first patrols are tied to a standing county assignment, not a temporary showcase. From there, the team will also assist other agencies across the Miami Valley, reinforcing the way K-9 units often work as regional resources when fast scent work is needed.

Clark County has seen the value of that capability before. In September 2024, Springfield City Hall and other county buildings were evacuated after a bomb threat, and explosive-detecting canines were brought in to clear the facilities. That kind of response helps explain why a trained dog like Pyro is more than a local asset. It is part of a broader public-safety network that can move from patrol to search work to explosive detection without missing a step.

Ohio has been adding similar specialized dogs elsewhere, including Columbus Division of Fire’s 2024 explosive-handlers graduation, and the State Fire Marshal’s explosive detection dog Dodger, who completed nearly 1,500 missions before dying in 2022. Against that backdrop, Pyro’s move into patrol support in Clark County lands as a very practical step: a high-drive working dog, trained hard and put to work immediately, with Baldwin at the leash and Mad River Township as the first stop.