In 2014, police officer Mark Tappan wasn’t sure he wanted Mattis to be his partner.
Then, the 100-pound German shepherd dog bit him.
“I had on the bite suit and it was the hardest I’ve ever been bit,” Tappan said. “I couldn’t open my hand for three days after that. I knew that was the dog I wanted.”
Tappan, a police sergeant in Alpharetta, Georgia, worked with Mattis at his side for nearly seven years. Mattis would become the most decorated K9 in the Alpharetta department’s history and he was awarded the department’s Purple Heart for surviving a 30-foot fall during a pursuit and continuing to capture the suspect despite a lacerated liver and internal bleeding.
Mattis appeared on the TV show “America’s Top Dog” in 2019 and won his episode and came in second in the championship round. The dog has 5 million followers on TikTok and several hundred thousand on Instagram. Tappan even wrote a book, “A Dog Named Mattis”, about life lessons he learned from Mattis.
On Aug. 9, 2025, Mattis, 12, died. His cremated remains will be laid to rest at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in South Lyon on June 27 at noon along with two other well-known hero dogs that day. The ceremony is open to the public.
“I am so honored for him to be amongst those other great dogs,” Tappan said. “I’m extremely humbled.”
When the Michigan War Dog Memorial inters dogs, it holds an elaborate military-style ceremony that features bagpipes, the Wayne County Honor Guard, a K9 Salute Team of 15 to 20 dogs that howl on command, and five Wayne County Mounted horses.
The handlers eulogize their K9 partners, something Tappan told the Detroit Free Press he is not sure how he will do without becoming emotional.
“I will focus on a lot of the things Mattis taught me, not just his work ethics, which were amazing, but how he encouraged me to be a better human,” Tappan said, choking up through tears. “I still think about him every day. He’s special.”
Mattis was a dual-purpose German shepherd certified in narcotics detection, tracking and apprehension of suspects.
The other two police dogs to be interred on June 27 are K9 Kurt, a black Labrador retriever/golden retriever mix who worked for the FBI Police, and K9 TTirado, also a black Labrador retriever. He worked for the Transportation Security Administration at two different airports.
Both dogs did explosives detection work, including helping to secure some prestigious events such as presidential inaugurations. In 2020, TTirado’s retirement video went viral on social media, reposted by celebrities, when his “final find” celebration video featured a shower of 200 tennis balls.
Where no dogs are forgotten
The Michigan War Dog Memorial Inc. is a nonprofit started in 2012 to operate the Michigan War Dog Memorial cemetery, which is an old pet cemetery in western Oakland County once called Happy Hunting Ground Pet Cemetery.
There are graves there that date to the 1930s for dogs, cats and even one unique parrot: A 1938 gravestone for U.S. Navy Adm. George Dewey’s mascot parrot. Another notable gravestone is for Blizzard, a sled-dog during Adm. Richard Byrd’s Antarctic expedition from 1928-1939.
As the Detroit Free Press previously reported, one of the first military dogs to be buried there was Sgt. Sparks in 1947, who had visited in 1946. Sgt. Sparks was a Doberman pinscher whose family in Ohio donated him to the military during World War II. He survived several duties and returned a hero, having saved soldiers lives by alerting them to ambushes.
The cemetery’s unique history inspired Phil Weitlauf to found the Michigan War Dog Memorial. Today, the 2-acre cemetery honors military, police and service dogs. The Detroit Free Press reported in 2024 it opened the cemetery to interment of police horses. About 150 dogs and 15 horses have been interred there since the founding in 2012, Clint Symons, president of the Michigan War Dog Memorial, told the Detroit Free Press.
The cemetery is arguably the most prestigious place in the country for a working dog to be interred, with handlers traveling from other states, even other countries, to lay their dogs to rest there.
“We have two police dogs coming from Scotland next year to be interred,” Symons said. “As far as we know, we are the only cemetery in the United States that does full-honor burials to honor K9s without charge to the handlers. We might be the only one in the world. Scotland has a monument to police dogs there, but they do not have a cemetery or do the burial.”
At the cemetery, only police and military dogs’ remains go in the ground — and they must be cremated first to conserve the limited land space. Symons said the columbarium, with 96 niches in it to inter ashes for other kinds of service dogs, is already half full. There is a second columbarium for police horses.
“It’s just a complete honor to be able to do this,” Symons said of running the cemetery. “We don’t want any dogs to go forgotten.”
Kurt impacted the life of an FBI officer
In 2006, Joel Altman, then a 25-year-old officer with the FBI Police — a uniformed federal law enforcement agency that protects FBI facilities and personnel nationwide — was selected to become a K9 handler.
“I couldn’t believe it. I remember where I was when the special agent came and told me,” Altman said. “I grew up with dogs and I thought it was an interesting career path. I didn’t realize how much it would affect me for the rest of my life.”
By the second week of training, the instructors paired Altman with Kurt, a then 1½-year-old black Labrador retriever mix.
“He was a former seeing eye dog, but he had failed out at some point,” Altman said. “I never got a true clear story of why he failed out, but I think it was because he liked to go after animals. So that wouldn’t work out as a guide dog.”
Altman said Kurt was “a stubborn old man” who liked to do his own thing. But Kurt was a hard worker and by the end of the first year, he was becoming a great police dog.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” Altman said of the early years. “But the months went by, the years went by, and we were a top-notch team. It was just a lot of work and stress. But it became my identity. It’s who I was. It was everything. It was what I became.”
The duo was assigned to the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, DC, and Kurt became a familiar and beloved presence there. Kurt conducted searches for bombs in various buildings, vehicles, warehouses and served on special assignments such as three presidential inaugurations, visits by foreign dignitaries and other high-profile events, Altman said.
“Luckily, we never found anything,” Altman said, referring to bombs. “But his biggest legacy to me is that he was an ambassador, not just for the FBI, but for all K9 officers around the world. We would get diginitaries, tourists or Make-a-Wish kids who would come to FBI headquarters and Kurt would be there with me. For some of these people, it was the highlight of their trip to get to meet an FBI dog.”
Kurt retired in June 2013 at 8½ years old. Altman adopted him and the family moved to Ohio, taking Kurt and their other dogs to a house on a lake in nearby Kentucky for vacations.
“He loved the lake. On his last day on Earth, Jan. 7, 2018, my brother and I took him down there because he was scheduled to be euthanized that day,” Altman said, breaking up with emotion. “The lake was frozen. We carried him down to the dock and we let him walk down the steps to the water and he walked onto the ice and he was looking around like, ‘It’s time for me to move on.’ “
During his life, Kurt inspired Altman to write a children’s book called: “The Adventures of Hoover the FBI Dog”. It is loosely based on Kurt, Altman said. The story is meant to teach the reader about the different kinds of service dogs. After Kurt died, Altman also wrote a children’s book, published in 2024, about how to cope with the death of pet called, “Gaining Wings”.
“He was my whole life for that whole time period. It’s because of him that I’ve gotten to do so much,” Altman said. “I came back to Ohio and I got to work with major league sports and now I’m a police officer in my hometown and I don’t think any of that would have happened if not for him.”
Altman said some of Kurt’s ashes, along with Kurt’s bandanna, will be interred at the Michigan War Dog Memorial. But the rest will stay with Altman.
“I’ve got a bunch of his stuff, his harness and little mementos we picked up,” Altman said, choking up with emotion. “One day, they can cremate me and put me with his ashes, too, and spread them at the dock by our lake.”
K9 TTirado carries on a special name
Hector Luis Tirado Jr. of the New York Fire Department Engine 23 was killed in New York City on 9/11, but his name would live on in a special dog, K9 TTirado.
TSA Officer Keith Gray and his K9 partner, TTirado, met in 2012 as part of a new passenger-screening K9 program the TSA had launched. The dogs in the program were trained to detect and find anyone who might be moving through an airport with explosives on them.
Gray was in only the third class to go through the training and initially he was paired with a yellow Labrador retriever named Buddy.
“A week later, they came in and sat us down and said, ‘We made a mistake and put the wrong four dogs with the wrong four handlers,’ ” Gray said. “So I got switched to TTirado.”
Gray was initially disappointed because he wanted a yellow Labrador and TTirado was black, but soon he would realize his good fortune.
“Getting TTirado was probably one of the best things ever because in the long run he was an amazing dog for me,” Gray said. “He was a good dog to learn on. He was very independent on his own and had a good personality.”
The two initially worked at the Honolulu International Airport until 2014, then they transferred to Indianapolis International Airport. TTirado provided security support for events such as the Indianapolis 500, Kentucky Derby and Super Bowl LII that was played in Minneapolis. TTirado also performed security sweeps for the prime minister of Australia and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2015 and 2016.
But his biggest claim to fame came on the day he retired in June 17, 2020. His retirement “party” was featured on “The Today Show,” Fox News, “Inside Edition” and a feature spot on the 2020 edition of CW Networks “Dogs of the year.”
“In 2020, the pandemic was going on and I was looking forward to doing a traditional retirement party for him, but we couldn’t get people together,” Gray said.
So Gray got creative. He always rewarded TTirado for a successful search by giving him a tennis ball. So, he bought a box of 200 used tennis balls.
“So TTirado did his last search and find and he came around the corner and basically 200 tennis balls rained on him,” Gray said. “He was so excited and was chasing around after them.”
The video of TTirado and the tennis balls went viral. Even actress Jamie Lee Curtis shared it, Gray said.
“That kind of became the standard now for working dogs retiring,” Gray said. “There’s usually some kind of celebration like that and it’s cool to look back and say my dog was the first one and the person who started that.”
In his retirement, TTirado attended events to promote Project K9 Hero, a nonprofit that pays for medical care, prescription food, and other expenses for retired police and military dogs. It was at one of those events that Gray took a side trip to meet Hector Tirado’s son and family.
“I wanted to make sure that happened before my Tirado passed,” Gray said. “Hector was excited to meet the dog because it means a lot to him that people remember his dad.”
In the fall of 2023 TTirado underwent surgery for Laryngeal Paralysis, a respiratory condition. The procedure was paid for by Project K9 Hero and gave TTirado an additional two years of life. He died on Dec. 12, 2025, at age 16.
Mattis, known for his heroics
In 2015, Tappan and Mattis were chasing a couple of robbery suspects on foot when one of the suspects jumped over a retaining wall and Mattis flew over it after him.
The wall was 30 feet high. The suspect hit the pavement and Mattis landed on top of him.
“I was dangling on the edge and I told Mattis to guard him. He did,” Tappan said. “I told the guy if he moved, he’d get bit.”
Tappan made it down the wall and took the suspect into custody, but the other suspect was still on the loose. Mattis immediately took off looking for the second guy.
“We’re running, passing all the other police officers, because Mattis was really fast, and we got him,” Tappan said. “And, the second we got him, Mattis collapsed.”
Tappan had checked the dog for any broken bones after the fall and Mattis was OK. So Tappan knew the injuries that caused the collapse had to be internal.
“I scooped him up and I drove as fast as I could, lights and sirens on, to the vet,” Tappan said.
The vet did an MRI on Mattis and rushed him into surgery to repair a lacerated liver that was bleeding internally. In the meantime, the department had posted on social media that Mattis was injured. Mattis had a big fan following in the community and a prayer chain was started.
“So everyone was praying for Mattis,” Tappan said, believing a true miracle occurred. “By the time the vet opened him up, the bleeding had completely stopped and the vet didn’t have to do anything. The vet even said, ‘I don’t understand how that happened.’ “
Mattis made a full recovery and was back to full-duty status in a month. He won a departmental Purple Heart for “wounded in the service of his community while exhibiting acts of valor,” Tappan said. Mattis also was named Officer of the Year for 2015 and received the Director’s Award, which honors a spectacular officer.
The dog’s heroics didn’t end there. Tappan recalled a robbery at a local shopping mall.
“I came in behind them as they were robbing the store and said, ‘Get down!’ One did and one pushed past me, hitting me and taking off running,” Tappan said. “I dropped the leash to run after him and … I tackled him and thought, ‘Wow, I caught him fast!’ I look down and I see that Mattis had caught his foot already and brought him down first.”
Meanwhile, the other suspect came at Tappan from behind to attack. Tappan swung around, put his hand on his taser and started to run at the suspect, but Mattis got there first and “he had the guy on the ground in a bite on his foot.”
A dog who would ‘go all in’
The nation got to see Mattis’ ability on the TV show, “America’s Top Dog” on A&E in 2019. On that show, a handler and their dog face an obstacle course and challenges to test the dog’s speed, agility, teamwork, and trust over two rounds of competition.
When Tappan got the invite to be on the show, he was keen to do it because, “Mattis was so social and sweet, I could take him into a kindergarten class. So people didn’t think he was a real police dog. This was an opportunity to show how good my dog is.”
The duo won the episode they were on and came in second in the championships.
Mattis retired in May 2021 at about 9½ years old. A few months later, he developed a dangerous digestive issue that would require surgery.
“The vet said, “It’s going to be expensive and he’s probably going to die,’ ” Tappan said. “I called Project K9 and they said, ‘We don’t care what it costs. We’ll pay for it.’ It cost $13,000.”
The surgery gave Mattis four more years of life. But by spring of 2025, Mattis struggled to walk.
“Here’s this dog with no off switch and I had to carry him up and down the stairs during the last six months of his life,” Tappan said, his voice breaking up with emotion. “The other two dogs were playing in the yard and Mattis was standing by me and he just fell. He just looked up at me and it was like he was telling me it was time.”
Mattis died on Aug. 9, 2025. Tappan said he takes comfort in the fact that he has Mattis’ son, Hawk, who is 5. Tappan also has the wonderful memories and the lessons Mattis taught him.
“Go all in,” Tappan said of one lesson. “He gave everything he had to work, like jumping over that 30-foot wall. The other is the loyalty and unconditional love. They don’t say a word, but they’re always there for you. If you have a bad attitude, they forgive. He made me want to be a better father, husband, friend.”
Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer for USA TODAY Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 heroic dogs to be laid to rest at Michigan cemetery. Their stories
Reporting by Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
