Gwinnett bomb-sniffing dog to be laid to rest

By Andria Simmons

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As bomb-sniffing dogs go, Rusty was something of a misfit.

Not long after the stray yellow lab mix was found wandering in rural Kansas, he tested high on an aptitude test for sniffing bombs, a job where purebreds normally excel.

The scrappy mutt began besting his purebred counterparts soon after he underwent explosive detection training in North Carolina, said his handler, former Gwinnett police Sgt. Danny Bayreuther.

“He passed every certification test with flying colors,” Bayreuther said.

Rusty joined the Gwinnett County Police Department in 1999, and for six years he and Bayreuther were constant companions at home and work. Rusty never sniffed out a live explosive, although he responded to numerous bomb threats.

He also conducted demonstrations for schoolchildren and performed bomb sweeps for visiting dignitaries such as first lady Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Each day when his partner donned a uniform, Rusty knew it was time to work. He would spin around and “go crazy,” Bayreuther said. When the department retired Rusty in 2005, it was bewildering for him.

“He was like ‘Where are you going without me?’ ” Bayreuther said. “He lived to go to work.”

Yet Rusty also lived happily in retirement for four years at the home Bayreuther shares with his wife (Gwinnett police Maj. Mindy Bayreuther) and young daughter.

Bayreuther made the agonizing decision to euthanize Rusty on Monday. The dog, who was believed to be 12, recently stopped eating and drinking, and he was in pain, Bayreuther said.

A graveside service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Oak Rest Pet Gardens in Bethlehem, where Rusty will be buried alongside other police service dogs.

“He stood out, but everybody just loved him,” Bayreuther said. “I wouldn’t have traded him for a purebred in the world.”