OPP's 'most successful' general service dog retiring after 7 years on the job

Pretty soon, OPP canine Maximus will be able to kick back and enjoy life as a family pet. 

At the ripe old age of nine, Maximus is heading into retirement Tuesday with a send-off party celebrating his career, as well as the accomplishments of his handler, Essex County OPP Const. Milan Matovski. 

Maximum is a Belgian malinois and German shepherd mix, trained as a general service canine who can detect drugs, track missing, wanted or lost people and apprehend suspects. He joined the OPP in 2016 at the age of two. 

"He's so good. He's so effective," said Essex County OPP Const. Steven Duguay. 

Maximus is "the most successful" general service canine in the Ontario Provincial Police, Duguay said, with over 200 "catches" — anything from a suspect apprehension to a missing person located. 

It's a tough career — in 2020 Maximus was administered a dose of naloxone after becoming dizzy and disoriented while on a search, having accidentally consumed fentanyl.  

But even as his days on the job are numbered, Maximus isn't taking it easy: Just last week he was able to prevent a tragic outcome, said Duguay. 

"We had a senior go missing who hadn't been heard from since the night before. So we're ... over 12 to 18 hours at this point," Duguay said. "Maximus was able to help locate this individual who needed medical attention because of his exposure and was able to locate him before anything tragic occurred. 

"Things like that, where it's not only catching bad guys, but also helping members of the public who seem to be lost or can't find their way."

While Maximus' replacement is still to be announced, Duguay said the region has canine coverage through neighbouring detachments if needed. 

The transition to life as a family pet is a bit of a learning curve, Duguay said. But luckily for Maximus, he'll  have his family by his side. 

"[Adoption by the handler] is usually the best option as the dog is familiar with the family … that integration makes it a little bit easier if they're ... very familiar with that situation. 

"Maximus is being adopted by his handler and will live on the rest of his life outside of his policing career safely at home with the family that he's known for his whole life."