Pinellas deputy’s bond with retired K-9 forever changed after ambush: ‘This dog saved my life’

LARGO, Fla. - A K-9 with a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office retired after saving his handler's life nearly one year ago.

Corporal Matt Aitken has worked with PCSO for 18 years and took on K-9 Taco in 2019. 

"He came from the Netherlands, and when we started testing him, off the charts he tested great. At the end of testing, he jumped into my arms, and so I ran into my car and put him in," he said. "It was the best decision I ever made. I wouldn’t be here without this dog for sure."

RELATED: Pinellas K-9 who helped rescue handler ambushed by burglary suspect retires: ‘Thank you K-9 Taco’

Over the course of his career, K-9 Taco caught 79 suspects and placed first in agility at the Police Canine Association competition among multiple other awards. 

"These dogs are subcontractors. They’re not your friend, they’re not your partner, they’re subcontractors to catch bad guys," Aitken said.

But what happened on March 12, 2023, forever changed the relationship between Aitken and Taco. It was the day before Aitken planned to take a trip for his daughter's Spring Break.

Aitken and K-9 Taco responded to a suspicious person's call after a suspect had tried running from another deputy. 

PREVIOUS: Sheriff: Suspect who 'ambushed' deputies skipped court hearing; killed by sergeant after wounding K9 handler 

"As far as I knew, this could have been a 16-year-old kid pulling door handles. There’s just no intel behind it," he said. "Taco jumps a 6-foot chain link fence, through a backyard, I follow him."

Once the two turned the corner, though, the suspect ambushed Aitken, shooting him three times. 

"As soon as I saw him, he was already in a shooting stance. Before I could even think about drawing my gun or make any decisions, he fired three rounds," he said. "The first round hit my neck. The bullet entered the left side of my neck, it passed through and fractured the second vertebrae, came out the right side, came less than two centimeters from my spinal cord."

The other two bullets struck his wrist and leg. 

MORE: Bodycam video released: Suspect 'ambushed' Pinellas County deputies, sheriff says

"Immediately when I hit the ground, I released Taco and Taco immediately grabbed the suspect by his left arm," he said. 

It's K-9 Taco's actions that allowed Sergeant Jake Viano, the other deputy responding to the call, time to shoot and kill the suspect. 

"Taco is a very sweet dog," Aitken said. "He’ll sleep upstairs with my daughter, and he’s a very social dog. But when he is put into action, he’s extremely violent."

For the next week, Aitken recovered in the hospital. While there, a colleague even brought Taco to visit him. 

READ: Pinellas County deputy justified for killing suspect who shot K9 handler 3 times, per state attorney

"I sit down and Taco just put his head in my lap. I mean they know. They’re brilliant. They know," Aitken said. "When we first saw each other it was immediately like, 'My God, this dog saved my life."

Aitken knew their connection drastically changed. 

"He feels like home. I wouldn’t be here without him," he said. "He’s not my partner, he’s my brother." 

In January, 10 months after the ambush, Aitken made the call to retire K-9 Taco. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri decided to gift Taco to Aitken and his family. 

"Now that he’s home with us, I’ll never forget what he did. My family will never forget what he did," Aitken said. "I’m definitely not hard on him like when I worked with him. Some of the rules that we’re told we can’t violate, like don’t let him be on the couch, don’t let him sleep in the bed. I don’t care. Enjoy the couch, the bed, the air conditioning, this is yours. He’s earned every bit of it."

Aitken has also retired from the K-9 Unit and now works in the training unit with PCSO. 

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