Boomer, a local search and rescue dog used in helping the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office with a homicide case about 10 years ago, was given one last ride around in a sheriff’s SUV before being euthanized next week. Owner Richard Smith of Great Lakes Emergency Response Team from Beloit said the 13-year-old Boomer has cancer and suffers from a bad case of arthritis that makes getting around extremely difficult. It was a tough decision to have Boomer put down, but Smith wanted the hound dog to have one last opportunity to ride in a sheriff’s vehicle and say goodbye to some of the people he worked with. “He’s had a long good life. He was not only my four-legged partner, he was part of my family,” Smith said. Flanking Boomer, from left, is Lt. Alan Young, the sheriff’s office K9 officer, and Smith.

Boomer, a local search and rescue dog used in helping the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office with a homicide case about 10 years ago, was given one last ride around in a sheriff’s SUV before being euthanized next week. Owner Richard Smith of Great Lakes Emergency Response Team from Beloit said the 13-year-old Boomer has cancer and suffers from a bad case of arthritis that makes getting around extremely difficult. It was a tough decision to have Boomer put down, but Smith wanted the hound dog to have one last opportunity to ride in a sheriff’s vehicle and say goodbye to some of the people he worked with. “He’s had a long good life. He was not only my four-legged partner, he was part of my family,” Smith said. Flanking Boomer, from left, is Lt. Alan Young, the sheriff’s office K9 officer, and Smith.