New police dog True joins DRPS search and rescue team

DRPS adds new search and rescue dog True to its Canine Unit

The Durham Regional Police Service has welcomed a specially trained German Shorthaired Pointer who will help find missing children, vulnerable residents and people in crisis across Durham Region, including Ajax.

By Ajax Voice Staff

October 28, 2026 at 3:35 p.m. · Updated October 28, 2026 at 6:03 p.m. · 2 min read

A new four-legged recruit has joined the Durham Regional Police Service, bringing a new set of search skills to emergencies across the region, including Ajax.

Police Service Dog True, a German Shorthaired Pointer, is the first dog in DRPS's new Search and Rescue/Human Remains Detection K9 Program, Durham Regional Police said. The unit gives officers an added specialized tool for calls where finding someone quickly can mean the difference between life and death.

A dog built for finding people

True was born in Germany on June 29, 2025, and was chosen and trained specifically for search and rescue work. His skills include tracking human scent, detecting evidence, searching open areas and locating human remains.

According to Durham Regional Police, True can follow a person's scent across different environments and surfaces to find them or figure out which way they went. He can also pick out articles carrying human scent and can sweep large outdoor areas, working both on his own and under his handler's direction.

He is expected to be used mostly in searches for missing children, vulnerable and elderly people, non-violent individuals in a mental health crisis, and anyone injured, lost or disoriented and unable to get to safety on their own.

A gentler kind of police dog

Unlike a traditional police dog trained to apprehend suspects, True works differently. When he finds someone, he stays with the person and alerts his handler by sitting and barking until help arrives.

Durham Regional Police said that passive approach makes him useful in situations where an arrest is not needed or appropriate, and it lowers the risk of the person being hurt during a rescue. His human remains detection training adds another capability that can support searches and investigations.

The service describes the addition as an investment in public safety and the next step in the growth of the DRPS Canine Unit's search abilities.

For Ajax residents, True means a better chance of a fast, safe outcome when a child wanders off, a senior with dementia goes missing, or a distressed resident can't be found.