Area police dogs, handlers give Thor retirement sendoff

CANFIELD

Every dog has its day, and for police dogs Rocky and Thor, their day was Tuesday.

Canfield Police Department officially celebrated at Canfield City Hall the induction of its new police dog Rocky and the retirement of veteran police dog Thor.

After eight years on the force, Thor, 11, was given a badge of service from Chief Chuck Colucci and a send off from the department.

Thor was no longer able to perform his duties after he was diagnosed with arthritis and hip displasia, a common condition in German Shepherds. He stopped working on the force in March, but despite his maladies, Thor maintains a positive demeanor. At the party he greeted attendees, played with toys, posed for photos and, on multiple occasions, perused the refreshments table.

In November, Thor was responsible for tracking a little girl in North Jackson who ran away from home. Doctors told DeBarr that if Thor found her 20 minutes later, she would have succumbed to hypothermia.

Police dogs and handlers for Boardman, Springfield township and the Mahoning County Sheriff’s departments were present for the ceremony, with whom DeBarr trains alongside weekly.

Colucci said that the department had some financial concerns when Thor had to stop working, and was unsure of whether it could afford a replacement.

The Rotary Club of Canfield gave the department a grant of $14,000 to purchase Rocky.

Read more about the situation in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.