Ron, the narcotics K-9 pit bull, is breaking barriers in New Jersey

DELRAN, N.J. (WPVI) — Three-year-old pit bull Ron loves snuggling, his favorite chew toy, and sniffing.

But if you run into this playful pittie, you should probably address him as K-9 Ron.

Ron’s journey is an unlikely one, starting in a shelter in Minnesota.

In 2023, he was taken in by a pit bull rescue, and once people took notice of his talents, they reached out to an organization called K-9 Protectors.

“I remember getting a message from one of the other trainers, and he said to me, ‘You have to see these videos,’” said Christie Marrano, a volunteer trainer with K-9 Protectors.

The organization trains at-risk shelter dogs for police work, but they had never worked with a pit bull before.

“I know this dog is a pit bull breed. I know he may be hard to place; there’s a stigma, but we have to take this dog,” said Marrano. “He’s fantastic.”

In a few months, Ron was trained to sniff out narcotics.

But finding work for him proved to be challenging, Marrano says, because he’s not the traditional K-9 breed.

“I’ve always wanted a K-9. I’ve always wanted a lab or a shepherd or a (malanois). So when I heard he was a pit bull, I was a little taken aback at first,” said patrolman Tyler Malia, Ron’s handler.

But Delran’s Police Department, which had been contemplating starting up a K-9 unit, gave him a chance.

“Met him, saw he was such a lovable dog and he was good at what he does. It was 100% go from there,” said Chief Matt Gasper.

“Instantly, I fell in love,” said Malia.

K-9 Ron has been on the job for about a month. Officials say he’s already helped to make two drug busts — both times finding narcotics in cars.

“He’s been a rockstar. He’s hit a home run twice already for helping other jurisdictions with narcotics searches,” said Gasper.

Ron is believed to be the first pit bull to serve as a narcotics K-9 in New Jersey.

“Just because he’s a rescue pit doesn’t mean anything,” said Malia. “He’s the most lovable dog I’ve ever been around.”