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Handler – Deputy Joe DiMariano
Longtime member of the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit passes away
As the only bloodhound in the four-dog Ontario County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, Truman spent his decade-long career tracking missing people and sniffing out hiding and fleeing criminal suspects across the county. Deputy Joe DiMariano spent seven of those 10 years partnered with Truman, developing a unique friendship with the powerful yet affable 120-pound dog. Their bond didn’t end with Truman’s last track as a member of the K-9 Unit last year. As he did when the pair worked together, Truman continued to live with DiMariano in Clifton Springs upon his retirement, going from the deputy’s partner to his pet. Earlier this month, the Sheriff’s Office announced that Truman had passed away. It was a difficult situation for DiMariano, who was struck by the number of people in the community who reached out to express their sadness over his four-legged friend’s death. “Truman loved everybody,” DiMariano recently said while sharing stories of his companion. “He just loved life.” Truman was no more than 9 months old when he was donated to the Sheriff’s Office in 2005. His name was inspired by Deputy Truman Becker, who was on duty when he was killed in a motor vehicle crash in 1981. Ontario County Sheriff’s Deputy John Peck was initially assigned Truman and trained the bloodhound for the department. But when Peck retired a couple years later, Truman, still only 2 years old, needed a new comrade to hold his leash. DiMariano jumped at the chance. While growing up in Phelps, DiMariano knew he wanted to be a member of law enforcement. As a dog lover, he also knew that he wanted a canine partner while carrying out the duties of a police officer. In 2007, DiMariano’s first career goal was crossed off the list when he was hired as a deputy with the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office. Approximately two years later, his first canine companion entered his life. “I was lucky enough to be chosen to be partnered with Truman,” DiMariano said, pointing out that several other deputies applied to be Pike’s successor. During his youth, when he imagined the canine he’d be partnered with, DiMariano probably hadn’t pictured a dog like Truman — the deputy pointed out that he had never seen a bloodhound before. But DiMariano quickly realized that he and Truman were a strong match. “By the time you got the dog into the car for work you’re covered in hair and slobber, but it came with the territory,” DiMariano said. “I’d never change a thing. It was the best career move of my life.” The adjustment was smooth, according to DiMariano. Since Truman was already trained, DiMariano followed his partner’s lead. “Truman, he knew what he was doing,” DiMariano said. “It was more about me learning what I was supposed to be doing.” He stressed the power of Truman when the two trailed a target — wherever Truman went, DiMariano went. One of the tracks that sticks in DiMariano’s mind took place in Farmington during the middle of the night. DiMariano and Truman were tasked with looking for a suspect who crashed his car and took off on foot. After picking up the scent of an individual, Truman led DiMariano to a woodline. The darkness hid a 10-foot drop-off, as DiMariano was about to learn. Upon entering the shadows of the woods, the two tumbled down the hill. When the dust settled, DiMariano realized that Truman’s harness had broken during the fall. “I look up and Truman is still going and not connected to anything,” he said. Anxiety grew for DiMariano, as the search switched from finding a criminal suspect to tracking down his missing partner. After 45 minutes of stumbling around the dark in search of Truman with a fellow deputy, he heard barking in the distance. After climbing back up the hill toward the barks, Truman was spotted in the middle of an apartment complex courtyard. Truman had become sidetracked. “He was chasing cats,” DiMariano said. “He didn’t like cats so much.” The successful searches from the Truman-DiMariano team are countless, including the discovery of a 10-year-old autistic boy in Wayne County. The youth had wandered away from his home and, when darkness fell, became frightened and took refuge in a barn. The two found him hiding among hay bales. The successful find inspired the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, which had used a couple of their German shepherds, to get a bloodhound of their own. “It’s probably the most rewarding thing you’re ever going to do,” DiMariano said. “Especially when you’re looking for a missing person — an elderly person or a missing child. You have your adrenaline going because you want to find them as much as (the canine) wants to find them.” But a decade is a long haul in dog years, and Truman started to show his age. Truman’s last track was finding DiMariano’s daughter during a training session in June 2015. Truman would eventually adjust to the retired life. His final evening was spent like many others — playing in DiMariano’s backyard. The following morning DiMariano headed outside to Truman’s kennel — a walk usually greeted by barking and an excited Truman standing at the kennel door. “But I saw him lying in his house part of the kennel and once I opened up the gate, he didn’t move,” DiMariano said. “I knew then.” DiMariano reached out to Peck to let him know. The news of Truman’s death was then released by the Sheriff’s Office, and an outpouring of love flowed. Throughout Truman’s career, the dog was used in demonstrations at the Ontario County Fair and at area schools, and in front of various groups. People who had experienced the fun-loving Truman reached out to DiMariano expressing sympathy. As for DiMariano, he has since been assigned a new bloodhound named Addy. As the relationship with his new partner grows, he doesn’t expect memories of his first canine partner to fade. “Truman was an ambassador for the Sheriff’s Office because he was loved by everyone,” DiMariano said. “He’s definitely going to be missed.”
