Erie County wildlife officer and K9 River graduate from ODNR program

Erie County wildlife officer Michele Butler and her new partner, K9 River, graduated Tuesday as one of three teams joining the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' K9 program.

The department recognized the teams at the Spring Valley Education Center, according to its Nov. 10 announcement. Butler is assigned to Erie County.

River is a male black Labrador retriever purchased from Five T K9 Enterprises. Butler joined the department in 2018 and began field service in 2019, the agency said.

The department says its K9 teams help with tracking, evidence detection, public outreach and education. The announcement does not give a separate start date for Butler and River's work together in Erie County.

The other graduates were wildlife officer Gus Kiebel and K9 Gar, assigned to Adams County, and natural resources officer D'Angelo Thigpen and K9 Frank, based at Rocky Fork State Park.