Retired Hillsborough K9 Officer Talon Dies

Talon, a German shepherd who served as a K9 officer for the Hillsborough Police Department, died peacefully at his home this past Saturday.

Talon was retired from police duty, and passed surrounded by four-footed and two-footed family alike at his favorite spot in the woods, close by a creek he loved. Talon was 14 years old, and served the town for eight years before retiring from service in 2015.

“It was truly a pleasure being Talon’s handler,” said Senior Cpl. Scott Foster. “I know for certain that he truly loved serving and protecting the citizens of Hillsborough.”

Foster worked with and cared for Talon since the dog joined the police force in 2006. After Talon’s retirement, he lived with Foster and his family. Most police dogs retire between 6 and 10 years of age, and Talon certainly earned his life of leisure in retirement.

As a dual-purpose patrol dog, Talon tracked people, performed building searches and located  items such as narcotics and discarded weapons – all in addition to protecting his partner and apprehending suspects. Out of all his duties, though, Talon enjoyed tracking most.

“He truly enjoyed the hunt,” said Foster. “I’ve seen Talon tracking a suspect over a mile and never show signs of letting up. I think that he would literally collapse from exhaustion before he would stop tracking somebody.”

Some of Talon’s noteworthy accomplishments included:

• Tracking and locating an elderly dementia patient who wandered away from Carillon Assisted Living and became lost on Occoneechee Mountain.
• Tracking and locating three missing juveniles who became lost along the Eno River.
• Tracking and locating a suicidal subject in the act of attempting suicide.
• Assisting the Mebane Police Department and tracking, locating and apprehending a suspect involved in more than 300 car break-ins.
• Tracking a suspect from the scene of residential and business break-ins to the suspect’s back door, where stolen property was recovered.
• Performing a reverse track of a fleeing suspect and locating approximately 50 grams of cocaine discarded 6 feet off the ground in a tree.
• Locating a hidden compartment containing drugs and firearms inside a vehicle.
• Locating a firearm that was thought to have been hidden in a park by an impaired suspect.
• Locating a firearm used in a shooting/robbery.
• Assisting through his presence and barking in the capture of a fleeing felony suspect armed with a firearm. The suspect, who stopped running and surrendered, stated, “I didn’t know how good the officer could shoot, but I knew the dog wouldn’t miss.”

Talon also performed countless demonstrations for school classes and groups while working for the town. “Almost as much as the hunt, he enjoyed being an ambassador of the Hillsborough Police Department,” his handler said.

When off-duty, Talon enjoyed jumping on a trampoline and chasing squirrels. He also enjoyed vanilla ice cream – which was often offered as a reward for successful deployments.

The Police Department’s remaining active K9 officer, Vader, continues to work with Foster. Another K9 officer, Viper, retired last fall at age 8 and lives with his handler, Cpl. Mike Toellen.