Facts about Iro

Iro, a 2 1/2 year old male German Shepherd, was imported from the Czech Republic in February 2000 and trained along with Deputy Ritter at Castle’s K-9 Inc. in Mechanicsburg, PA. Iro currently weighs in around 100 pounds and stands nearly 3 feet high. Iro graduated from the academy in April 2000, two short months after the Union County Sheriff’s Department picked him up at the Harrisburg Airport. The training that Iro and Deputy Ritter received while at Castle’s included explosive discovery, tracking, and enhancing officer’s safety, among other skills. They have earned certification in several areas, including area search and handler protection, from this training academy. Deputy Ritter and Iro have also completed a 330 hour course in the area of explosives detection.

Iro also received certification from the North American Police Work Dog Association due to the training they received from Castle’s K-9 Inc. Iro and Deputy Ritter have achieved the high standards of this association in the areas of obedience/agility, area/article/building search, aggression control, tracking, and explosives detection. The K-9 unit is now utilizing these skills for the benefit of the sheriff’s department, as well as the general public.