Major was born on August 18, 2009 with the given name of Jasso vom Eichendorf. He is a dual purpose German Shepherd from Eichendorf, Germany where he lived for the first 2 years of his life and earned an obedience title while he was there. Major was purchased with funds from The Matt Haverkamp Foundation in 2011. He loves the snow in the winter, swimming in the summer, and his favorite toy – which is a ball on a rope. Major’s favorite work activities are tracking, criminal apprehension, and keeping Mason safe.

Major has been working with Officer Michael Bishop at the Mason Police Department since January 2012. Officer Bishop has been an officer since 2006 and was active in the K9 unit for 4 years prior to being assigned as a handler. Officer Bishop attended K9 Decoy training classes and began training with the Mason K9 unit and also helped train other area Police K9 teams before getting Major. Major and Officer Bishop are members of and certified through the NAPCH (National Association of Professional Canine Handlers), and the NAPWDA (North American Police Work Dog Association).

Major is most often used to conduct free air sniffs on vehicles at traffic stops. He has been responsible for numerous misdemeanor and felony arrests after positively alerting officers to vehicles containing illegal drugs. Major has also been used many times to locate evidence after crimes as well as lost valuables. Not only does the duo work with the Mason Police Department, but they are also frequently called to neighboring agencies to assist with drug sniffs, tracks, building and area searches, or evidence location. They have been called to assist agencies in Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clinton, Montgomery, and Clermont Counties in Ohio and Grant County in Kentucky.

In 2012, Major and Officer Bishop were honored by Goshen Township Trustees, Police, Fire, and EMS Departments for life saving efforts after conducting a track that helped locate an 88 year old diabetic victim who had not been seen for 2 days.

In 2013, Major and Officer Bishop were called to track a subject armed with a gun who fled from a traffic stop and lead a high-speed pursuit that ended in a crash injuring an innocent victim that was in another vehicle. A track was established near the intersection of Fields Ertel Road and Montgomery Road. The track led into a nearby apartment complex where the suspect was located and taken into custody after a brief fight.

Major is a favorite at the Mason City Schools and St. Susanna School where the duo routinely visits to conduct classroom talks and demonstrations as a part of the DARE program. Officer Bishop and Major enjoy conducting talks and demonstrations with local civic, community, and church groups. Major is a very social dog and really loves the attention. He is wonderful with children and is very patient with them, which makes him perfect for this type of community outreach.

“Thanks to the generosity of The Matt Haverkamp Foundation, Major is able to do what he was born to do and I am able to do exactly what I love to do – together we are able to serve the community that we love. I constantly tell people I have the best job in the world. It would not be so, if not for The Matt Haverkamp Foundation and its supporters,” shared Officer Bishop.