Titan

OAKVILLE, ON

Titan is an intelligent and loyal German Shepherd, whose determination and perseverance know no boundaries. Already an accomplished Police Service Dog, Titan and his partner, Constable Tara McLorn, have captured numerous fleeing criminals and helped locate thousands of dollars’ worth of hidden drugs during their time together on the force. Titan is revered by his team as one of the best, as far as Police Service Dogs go, and on one stormy night in October 2011, he proved it by saving a woman’s life.

Shortly after 11 p.m. that evening, Titan and Tara were called to assist in locating a desperate and despondent woman. After ingesting a dangerous amount of medication, the woman called 9-1-1 and told the operator that she was going to end her life. She then fled into a wooded area and refused to provide information on her location. Thankfully, she maintained communication long enough for the police team to narrow her whereabouts, using cell phone triangulation technology. 

With Titan at the helm, Tara and another officer set off on the search. They raced against the clock, scouring the forested area, high and low, for over an hour, without a sign of the suicidal woman. The weather conditions were horrific with hurricane-like winds and torrential rain, and as time ticked on, the odds of finding her seemed more and more dim. Desperation grew as the unit received word from central dispatch that the drugs the woman had consumed were taking effect. If they did not reach her soon, they would be too late. With the search area narrowed even further, Titan and the unit moved towards the river. Despite the heavy winds and rain, Titan miraculously detected a human scent and began to track it along the river’s edge. The wind and rain made tracking almost impossible, but Titan’s courage and determination ultimately led the team to the woman’s clothing. Now armed with a stronger scent, Titan led the unit through the storm to the woman, who was lying on her stomach with her lower body submerged in the river. Still determined to end her life, she jumped further into the river which was extremely swollen given the heavy downpour. The rushing current immediately swept the woman away, and she was carried down the bank before grabbing onto a branch – a final cry for help. Tara and the other officer then called for back-up to help pull the woman out of the river, who at this point, was barely conscious. The team remained with the woman until paramedics arrived to take her to the hospital, where she was treated for hypothermia and drug overdose complications.

This summer, Titan will be retiring from the force and along with all of his career accomplishments, he will always be recognized by the police team as a true hero. Without Titan’s formidable sense of smell and courageous persistence, the unit would not have found the woman in time that night. During an event when every second counted, Titan helped his team defeat the odds, rescue the missing woman and ultimately save her life.