Ohio's first K9 therapy dog Mattis honored at memorial held final post at Westland High

A tearful memorial ceremony on Tuesday morning honored the life of Mattis, a K9 therapy dog at the Frankin County Sheriff's Office and the first law enforcement therapy dog in Ohio.

Mattis died on June 28.

Westland High School students and staff, law enforcement personnel and 21 fellow therapy dogs and handlers honored the 7-year-old yellow lab on the school’s front lawn. Mattis became a therapy dog as a puppy in 2017 and served for years alongside his handler, Darrah Metz, including at Westland High.

Mattis was humanely euthanized after his well-being declined due to liver failure. His final post was at Westland High School. For the past year, when he wasn’t at the courthouse comforting children who were victims of crime, he arrived at Westland High every morning.

“Sgt. Metz would park on the side of the building and let him through the door, and he would be at a full sprint down the carpeted hallway to get to me for his morning treat,” Westland High Principal Gregory Costello said. “And then he would go visit the other members of the staff for their morning treats for him.”

Costello said the kids at the school hung out with Mattis in the common area, and whatever they were going through, Mattis brought them peace.

“I’ll always remember he brought so much joy by doing something so simple — by just being himself every day,” Costello said.

A dog’s legacy

Mattis’ first assignment came when he was just six months old, Metz said in a eulogy at the memorial. The FBI heard about Mattis before he’d started training and called on the sheriff’s office to bring him to a child who had witnessed a homicide. The child refused to tell anyone what he saw.

“Darrah took Mattis down, and within 15, 20 minutes, (the child) was playing with Mattis. And he was telling (Mattis) everything,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin said he realized then that therapy dogs could assist in investigations and not just comfort victims.

Baldwin said the sheriff's office has had several dogs come and go since Mattis started. For a short time before his death, he was the only therapy dog the department employed. Since his death, two more therapy dogs have joined the sheriff's office program, and three more will soon join, making it one of the largest police therapy dog programs in the country.

When Mattis became sick, the sheriff’s office called a specialist vet to see if anything could be done. The vet determined Mattis was battling liver failure. Baldwin said he saw the dog the day he died, and Mattis just wasn’t himself.

“You don’t want to admit it, but you can tell when they’re in pain,” Baldwin said. “It was time.”

In her eulogy, Metz said she misses Mattis and still catches herself opening the car door for him to jump in.

“I am hurting far more than I ever anticipated. You were able to hide it so well,” she said, directing her words at Mattis. “For me, the loss of you is overwhelming and immense.”

Franklin County therapy dogs’ future

On the same day Mattis died, a class of new therapy dogs graduated from training. One of them was Sunny, a 7-year-old golden retriever and one of Mattis’ successors at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

Sunny’s handler, Ryan Robinson, said he went directly from the graduation ceremony to an initial memorial service for Mattis.

“It was bittersweet,” Robinson said.

Several dogs who graduated that day attended Tuesday's memorial with their handlers. The 21 dogs lay at their handlers’ feet. Two of them barked at something in the distance as a bugler played taps and police personnel stood silently at attention.

Robinson said he loves working with Sunny so far and that the dog has a natural inclination for the work, like Mattis and other good therapy dogs. Robinson took over care of Sunny when he was a puppy, and the relative who owned him died.

Sunny helped Robinson and his family cope with the loss, and Robinson realized Sunny might be able to help others the same way. He joined the sheriff's office therapy dog program with Sunny.

“Mattis was a great dog,” Robinson said. “He taught me everything I know, and we’re going to take it from here.”

Metz still has a dog in her life — Radar, a 10-year-old yellow lab who works as a therapy dog at Ohio State University . Radar has helped her cope with the loss, Metz said.

Metz was recently promoted to sergeant and works in the community affairs division at the sheriff’s office. She continues to work closely with the therapy dog unit and said she will handle another therapy dog of her own when the time is right.

Looking at the therapy dogs assembled to honor Mattis, Metz said she’s glad their work together has been so influential.

“It's very humbling,” Metz said. “I was so blessed. I'm so privileged that he was mine.”

bagallion@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio's first K9 therapy dog Mattis honored at memorial held final post at Westland High