Two retired K-9 dogs

in Sublette County – Max with the Sublette

County Sheriff’s Department and

Kato with the Wyoming Highway Patrol

– died recently.

Max began his career with the SCSO

in May of 2009. Along with his partner,

Deputy Dan Ruby, Max worked for approximately

5 1/2 years seizing multiple

types of drugs coming into Sublette

County.

K9 Max retired from duty in November

2014, and afterward became a permanent

member of the Ruby family.

Ruby described Max as, “A small lapdog

trapped in a big dog’s body. He was

always happiest near me.”

Deputy Ruby went on to say, “Max

loved to work and play with his toys or

anything that would squeak.”

Earlier in the week, the Wyoming

Highway Patrol reported the death of retired

K-9 Kato on Jan. 9, following a brief

illness.

Kato began his career with the Wyoming

Highway Patrol in 2008 specializing

in narcotics detection assigned to

Trooper Jason Green. In 2011, Trooper

Brandon Deckert was selected as his handler

and the team was assigned to Sublette

County, replacing Trooper Jason

Green who was promoted to lieutenant at

that time.

During Kato’s eight-year career, he was

involved in several significant narcoticsrelated

cases and deployed throughout

Wyoming during concentrated high intensity

drug trafficking area details on

Wyoming highways. Kato was deployed

321 times resulting in the seizure of 277

pounds of marijuana, 5.4 pounds of methamphetamine,

$182,273 dollars of United

States currency directly related to drug

trafficking, approximately 1 pound of

prescription pills, psilocybin mushrooms,

LSD and acid, five firearms, including one

from a school, and two searches that led to

federal investigations involving domestic

and international terrorists.

Trooper Deckert and K-9 Kato were very

active in their community of Pinedale, as

well as other communities throughout Wyoming.

The two of them shared their enthusiasm

for working together while involved in

numerous safety-related presentations, K-9

demonstrations at schools and community

functions.