Retired Alpharetta police K-9 Mattis, already a social media sensation, is reaching new heights of fame.
The eight-year-old German Shepherd is currently featured on ESPN as an American Kennel Club Hero.
During the Dec. 2 premiere of the “AKC Heroes: 2021 Awards for Canine Excellence,” Mattis was honored as the winner of the Uniform Service K-9 award. He was one of five dogs celebrated for improving their communities and the lives of their owners.
“It’s extremely humbling,” owner Sgt. Mark Tappan said during the show.
Credit: Rebecca Wright
Credit: Rebecca Wright
An ESPN film crew visited Tappan’s home to record the duo a week before the awards show aired, he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.
During the two-minute segment Tappan describes Mattis’ rise to popularity while also performing public service. The beloved canine has 238,000 Instagram followers.
“I poured as much as I could into that dog to make him the best that I could,” Tappan said during the awards broadcast. “I tried to learn as much as I could … so that I would give him what he needed to be the best possible dog that he could be.”
Mattis retired from police service last March after five years of duty, receiving a city proclamation and a special ceremony as a farewell.
The K-9 assisted police with more than 200 arrests and he and Tappan have raised over $200,000 for charities. In 2016, Mattis jumped over a 30-foot retention wall and landed on a suspect. After that person was captured, he chased down a second suspect.
Mattis suffered a lacerated liver from that event.
Credit: Rebecca Wright
Credit: Rebecca Wright
Tappan told the AJC that Mattis also has a hardening muscle in one of his hind legs and will walk with a limp for the rest of his life.
“That’s one of the reasons he retired” Tappan said.
The Alpharetta police sergeant has featured his pooch in two children’s books titled, “My Dog Mattis” and “My Dog Mattis and the Barefoot Bandits.”
ESPN joins a list of TV networks that put the popular K-9 into the spotlight. In 2020, he appeared on the DC Comics inspired HBO series “Watchmen” and A&E’s “America’s Top Dog.” He’s also been featured on “Entertainment Tonight” and “Good Morning America.”
The American Kennel Club awards ceremony is a presentation of the AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence. Mattis was one of five winners chosen from nearly 1,000 nominations, according to the kennel club website.
The categories for other winners were for therapy dog, service dog, search and rescue dog, and exemplary companion. An article describing the winners is available on the American Kennel Club website at akc.org.
The awards show is currently streamed across ESPN platforms. Mattis appears at the 19:38 mark in the broadcast.
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