Durham Region police welcome search dog True to new K9 search program

Durham Regional Police Service is expanding its Canine Unit with the addition of Police Service Dog True, a specially trained German Shorthaired Pointer, police say. True will support searches for missing and vulnerable people and for human remains, as part of the service's new Search and Rescue/Human Remains Detection (SAR/HRD) K9 Program.

True was born in Germany on June 29, 2025, and was selected and trained specifically for search-and-rescue work, police say. His capabilities include human scent tracking, evidence detection, open-area searching and human remains detection. He can follow a person's scent across a variety of environments and surfaces, locate articles or evidence carrying human scent, and search large outdoor areas systematically using both handler-directed and independent techniques.

True will primarily be deployed in searches for missing children, vulnerable and elderly people, non-violent people experiencing a mental health crisis, and people who may be injured, lost or disoriented and unable to return to safety on their own, police say. When he locates a person, he is trained to stay with them and alert his handler by sitting and barking until the handler arrives, a passive response suited to cases where apprehension is neither necessary nor appropriate.

Police say True's training in human remains detection will also support searches and investigations, and describe his addition as an investment in public safety and the continued evolution of the Canine Unit's search capabilities. Off duty, his favourite activity is hiking, and his favourite toy is a ball, police add.