PICKAWAY COUNTY — The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved K‑9 officers. K9 Joris, a German Shepherd born in the Netherlands on December 10, 2015, passed away on November 21, 2025.
Joris answered the call to service in 2017 and served the county faithfully until his retirement in 2023. Over his six years on duty, he became a fixture of local law enforcement — and a friend to the community.
Weighing around 70 pounds, Joris was more than just a working dog; he was a gentle “fur missile,” with a personality as big as his bark. He loved chasing balls, exploring pipes for training exercises, and indulging in his favorite treats — Milk-Bones.
His service was not just symbolic. In his working years, he would have participated in building and vehicle searches, suspect tracking, and public appearances alongside his handler, K9 Deputy Stephen Harger . Thanks to a donation from the non-profit Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., Joris was equipped with protective body armor — a bullet and stab vest that helped keep him safe in the field.
Community members described him as loyal, brave, and always up for a play session after a long day’s work.
In a search of stories I’ve done on Joris, you will find many successful arrests on drug trafficking that were successful because of Joris. This K9 was pivitol in sentencing many of these dealers to years of prison. One Chillicothe man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for ounces of drugs that Joris had hit on during a US-23 stop in Pickaway County. Joris even celebrated National Dog Day in 2019 with a bust that found 16 grams of methamphetamine and 1 gram of heroin during a routine traffic stop.
Joris helped in six years to take pounds of drugs off the streets.
He may no longer patrol the streets, but his memory will remain a cherished part of Pickaway County’s law enforcement legacy.
