Remembering Ryder: Gone but never forgotten

Ryder was Sgt. Heather Prigger's best friend.

In April 2017, the Mason County Sheriff's Office bought Ryder from a kennel in Shelton. The dog remained with Prigger until his death last month due to an aggressive form of canine cancer.

Sheriff's Office K9s live with their handlers and essentially become their dogs. As soon as Prigger saw Ryder, she said she knew he was the dog for her.

"I fell in love with him," Prigger told the Journal. "He was incredibly friendly, loving. We had an instant connection from the moment I got him. We connected and it was love from the beginning. We looked at him at the kennel and knew instantly we wanted to get him."

Prigger said she's always been a dog person, growing up with golden retrievers. When she entered law enforcement, she wanted to be a K9 handler and applied for the MCSO K9 position as soon as it opened.

Prigger and her fiancé have other dogs at the house and Ryder fit right in. He loved cuddling on the couch and putting his favorite toy in the toilet, she said.

"He was a love bug," Prigger said. "He always wants to be by your side. If you go into a room, he's going to be following you there. Always watching and hanging out being social, he loved everybody. When somebody came to the house, he was great with them. He loved to be around people. He was a real sweetheart and a loving dog."

Ryder loved getting out and meeting people, performing demonstrations at schools.

"They say they know when they're on the job. He knew how to come home and relax and be at home and when he was working, how to turn it on at work," Prigger said. "He knew his role in everything and did great at that."

It takes 400 hours for K9s to get initial police dog certification. Prigger took him everywhere to get him accustomed to people and being a police dog. Prigger and Ryder started in-house training and by the end of 2017, Ryder received his initial certification.

Ryder's first case was tracking a suspect. He caught the person who was hiding in the woods after wrecking a vehicle and trying to get away on foot.

Ryder had 30 apprehensions during his Mason County career. He also was used for tracking in Thurston and Kitsap counties.

In 2020, Prigger and Ryder went through the state Department of Corrections' narcotics training program, which takes 200 hours. In August 2020, he was certified for narcotics detection, becoming the only dual-purpose dog in Mason County.

One highlight of Ryder's life includes getting to the top of Mount Ellinor as part of the Mason County Special Operations Rescue team.

Prigger said he's had some long tracks, most of which were uphill.

"We had one track off of Highway 101 and it was just straight up the mountain the entire way," Prigger said. "It's incredible, you're out in the woods, you don't have any idea where you are. You don't know what you're following, you're not following any kind of road or path, you're off into the woods and you're just following the dog. You're looking for signs but ultimately, it's the dog that gets you there. You would never be able to find that person without him."

Ryder found many people, including a person hiding in a tree.

Prigger said it is scary to send a K9 into a potentially dangerous spot.

"Although they are an officer and we train them to keep themselves safe and keep us safe, ultimately they are the first line of contact and are in the most danger and that's a scary thought to put them into that position," Prigger said. "That's why we train and make sure the dogs are prepared for that, as they all are. We never really know what's going to happen when it's on the street, but they are our protectors. He was always my protector and kept me safe when we were out."

Prigger didn't find out about Ryder's cancer diagnosis until it was too late. Ryder's spleen ruptured from the cancer.

"The cancer was throughout his entire body and you would have never known he was sick. On his very last shift, he actually had a phenomenal track," Prigger recalled. "It was a training day, so he was pretty busy that entire day. He didn't show anything that would make you think that he was sick."

Prigger said it has been tough since Ryder died and coming to work without him is difficult, but she said she's made sure to thank everyone for the support they have provided during a tough time. Prigger said she is going to take some time before getting another K9.

"It was amazing. It was the highlight of my life," Prigger said. "He was incredibly special, and he was my best friend so it was an absolute highlight having him with me. It's going to be hard to live up to him and how amazing he was, but I hope to have another K9 partner here soon and continue helping the community."

Author Bio

Matt Baide, Reporter

Shelton-Mason County Journal & Belfair Herald
Email: [email protected]

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