Heroic Canfield police dog Thor calling it a career

CANFIELD

Ten-year-old Chastidy Messenger had nearly succumbed to hypothermia when Thor found her.

Thor – a 10-year-old Canfield police dog that shares his name with heroes both ancient and contemporary – was called in to assist Jackson Township police in locating Chastidy, who ran away from home the previous night.

The girl wandered off into the nearly sub-zero temperatures of the November night, wearing only her clothes and a light jacket for protection from the harsh conditions.

Police already had searched for hours when Thor and his handler, officer Chad DeBarr, arrived. Starting behind the house, Thor tracked Chastidy’s path through a field and past a large pond before finally finding her lying on the cold ground of the woods.

Officers carried the unresponsive girl back to the warmth of her house, where medical responders stabilized her before transporting her to the hospital.

“Doctors at the hospital told us if she’d been out there another 10, 20 minutes, she probably wouldn’t have made it,” DeBarr said.

Three months after the heroic rescue, Thor – who joined Canfield police in 2010, but is now showing signs of arthritis – is getting ready to turn in his badge and collar.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of Canfield’s Rotary Club, a new dog will have the chance to take Thor’s place at the police station.

After learning of the department’s need, Canfield Rotarians secured a grant from their district and coordinated a fundraiser that brought in approximately $10,000. After adding $3,500 to the fund from the organization’s coffers, the group presented Canfield police with $13,500 to purchase and train a new police dog.

Nils Johnson, president of Canfield Rotary, said the decision to raise money for the dog was unanimous among the group.

“Everyone in the Canfield Rotary has been in the area for a while, and we’re all very aware of the job the police here do and how hard they work to keep us safe,” Johnson said. “Our club has a lot of events every year and the police are always there to provide security, so this is our way of thanking them and giving back.”

When the station is ready to buy the new dog, DeBarr will go to Shallow Creek Kennels in Sharpsville, Pa., to pick out one he thinks will best fit the department’s needs. Then the two will train together for six weeks before the dog joins the department.

Thor – who was trained to track individuals, search areas, protect his handler, sniff out drugs and seek weapons and other objects suspects might discard ­during a crime – also acts as a public liaison during police outreach events to schools and community groups such as the Boy Scouts. Now that he’s finished his service, Thor will live out his post-police days as DeBarr’s pet.

“It’s very typical for handlers to buy the dogs when they retire,” DeBarr said. “So Thor’s going to come home with me and he’ll live at my place as my dog.”

Though DeBarr technically has to purchase Thor, bringing the police dog home with him will only cost him one dollar.