Shelter dog was was set to be euthanized — now has a new life as a fire department K9

There are many unwanted shelter dogs on the verge of being euthanized, but thankfully sometimes these animals are saved at the last minute, given a second chance at life.

Recently, a dog named Boomer was saved from being put down — and now he’s the one saving lives, as one fire department’s newest K9.

Three months ago, Boomer, a 2-year-old German Shepherd, was in the care of the Anne Arundel County Shelter in Maryland. It was nearly the end of his story, as he was reportedly just hours from being euthanized.

However, his life was spared by a last-minute miracle: officers from the Anne Arundel County Police saw the dog and thought he might be a good fit for their K9 program, according to NBC Washington.

While Boomer’s life was saved, they couldn’t find a place for him in the department, so they reached out to nearby departments to see if the German shepherd could be of any service.

The Prince George’s County Fire Department, one county over, heard about Boomer and decided to adopt him into their Explosive Detection K9 Unit.

Boomer went through 14 weeks of training, learning how to use his sense of scent to detect explosives, preparing for this crucial, life-saving job.

Anne Arundel County Police Department Corporal Brian Fleig says that Boomer’s personality has blossomed after getting a new start with the fire department, saying he went from a “glass half empty” dog to a “glass half full” dog.

“He has a great time out here, he has purpose, he does a fantastic job at finding and discovering explosives, and he’s been a joy to work with over the past several months,” Fleig says in a video shared by the department.

“He basically went from a kennel dog who was not very sociable to a working dog,” Cpl. Andrew Cummings of the Prince George’s County Police Department told NBC Washington. “As you can see, he can be around people, very sociable, just a good working dog.”

“He’s just excited to work every day, living life to its fullest now.”

Boomer will be utilized for important tasks like suspicious package calls and post-blast investigations, the department says. When not on duty, he will go home and live with his handler, who also has four other dogs at home.