From the Marine Corps to Canine Officer: Mark Tappan’s Journey of Faith, Bravery, and the Extraordinary Bond with his K9 partner Mattis

In this episode, we dive into the extraordinary journey of Mark Tappan, a former Marine turned canine police officer, and his retired police dog, Mattis. Mark's story is a testament to the transformative power of faith, bravery, and the unique bond between man and dog. Their journey showcases the highs and lows of their time together in law enforcement, culminating in over 200 arrests, the seizure of more than $2 million in cash, and other high-stakes pursuits.

Mark's journey began as a college student with aspirations of becoming a game show host. However, his life took a turn when he joined the Marine Corps. It was during his time in the Marines that Mark found his faith and sense of purpose. This newfound faith guided him through a decade-long stint as a youth pastor before he finally ventured into law enforcement. Mark candidly shares the challenges of the job, and the crucial role Mattis played in helping him manage these burdens.

Mattis, now a retired police dog, is no ordinary canine. His bravery and dedication earned him a Purple Heart and a spot on the show "America's Top Dog." Mark recounts the rigorous process of selecting and training police dogs, highlighting why Mattis became the perfect partner despite initial reservations about his size. The bond between Mark and Mattis is one of a kind.

Mark discusses how his faith provides him with peace amidst these challenges and how he strives to be a reflection of compassion and integrity in his role. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining compassion and perspective, likening it to Jesus' compassion for humanity.

He uses his canine unit to build bridges between law enforcement and the public through social media with over 5 million dedicated followers. The children's book and other outreach efforts are part of a broader mission to foster understanding and trust within the community.


Don't miss this compelling episode that celebrates the incredible journey of Mark Tappan and his heroic dog, Mattis. Their story is a powerful reminder of the strength of the human-animal bond, and the valuable lesson we can learn together.

Links to Mark Tappan:

Mark's book: A Dog Named Mattis https://amzn.to/3z9NqbK

https://www.instagram.com/adps_k9_mattis

https://www.tiktok.com/@k9_mattis

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_sEq26C_zd06q038eCGLw

3 Books recommended by Mark:
What the Dog Knows by Cat Warren: https://amzn.to/3XuGBLR
If poem by Rudyard Kipling https://amzn.to/3XuGTlV
The Bible:  https://amzn.to/4eohlxb

-Links-

https://www.svetkapopov.com/

https://www.instagram.com/svetka_popov/

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

There's so much that I have to keep to myself which that's why having a dog was so nice is because I could share that burden. Without faith, I don't know how I'd do it. It's just because I can't subject other people to the same burdens that I always carry. There's resources that we have as police officers. There's chaplains, the church that we go to, small groups, things like that that are super helpful, but I have to protect my family from a lot, and so it's. You just realize that when you come through the door, a lot of times you have to compartmentalize certain things. That's one of the reasons that it was so hard. When Mattis retired was he. He helped with my compartmentalization. He was my heavy head on my shoulder. That gave me comfort, and so when he retired, that was a great tool that was taken from me.

Speaker 2: 0:50

Hey friends, welcome to the Ones who Dared podcast, where stories of courage are elevated. I'm your host, becca, and every other week you'll hear interviews from inspiring people. My hope is that you will leave encouraged. I'm so glad you're here, mark Tappan, welcome to the Once you Dare podcast. I am so thrilled to have you on this podcast today. I am so excited to be here. Yeah, so you and your dog, mattis, have quite the bond, and you guys had amazing adventures together. You're a canine police officer, a sergeant now, and Mattis has been responsible for more than $3 million in drug seizures, over 200 arrests. Jumping over a 40-foot cliff in pursuit of a suspect has been awarded a Purple Heart, and you guys almost won. You were the finalists in the America's Top Dog in 2018. And there's so much more to your story that you outline in your book called A Dog Named Mattis, and so I'm so excited.

Speaker 1: 2:01

Wow, thank you so much. Yeah, he was a good dog, a really good dog wow, thank you so much.

Speaker 2: 2:07

Yeah, he was a good dog, a really good dog. Yeah, and it's an honor for me to have an officer on the show this is a first, so, um, I'm just really excited to kind of get the inside look, behind the scenes, look to of the work that you do, um, especially working with the canine, and I think the first question that I wanted to ask you is what got you into working in this line of work, knowing the risks, the consequences, also some of the backlash that you may get from you know, just regular civilians.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Yeah, I like that question. I don't think I've been asked that way before I got into it, because it's I think it's instilled in who I am is I have a high sense of justice. I don't like seeing people get mistreated. Actually kind of a long story. I'll try to make it quicker. But I was in college aimless, rudderless, flunking out and my goal was to be a game show host at the time, probably not the best career plan that I had and anyway I ended up going to the Marine Corps.

Speaker 1: 3:10

And when I originally went to the Marine Corps because I had that in me it's just that strong sense of justice my intent was to come out and be a police officer. Now God got a hold of me while I was in the Marine Corps, which was amazing, and that's when I actually bent the knee and followed Jesus. And after that I got plugged into a church while I was in the Marine Corps and so that turned into a 10-year stint as a youth pastor after the Marine Corps. And the funny thing is, eventually I ended up going into law enforcement. But had I gone into law enforcement right when I came out of the Marine Corps? I don't think I was ready for the job. I was too immature, still probably didn't have the compassion that I needed, and so that time in ministry really, I think, prepared me to be a police officer. And then the part of the question that I really liked that you asked was the apprehensions.

Speaker 1: 4:01

And you know, because of the backlash or the way the community sees you, I've always had a high respect for law enforcement and there were things when I was growing up that we saw, like the Rodney King thing that happened out in Los Angeles, and so that was a big news thing. But other than that, in the community that I grew up, I never saw any kind of dissension between the police and citizens. And then I think, especially coming out of ministry and even now I was on the SWAT team canine some of the most dangerous situations. I don't think it's ever been a concern for me because I know God's in control. I know, no matter how dangerous the situation is, he's the one pulling the strings and, like Paul says, to live is Christ, to die is gain right.

Speaker 1: 4:51

So that's one thing. And then the other thing is is the community? It got bad, especially after the George Floyd and some Breonna Taylor and some other things that happened. And I always saw it as my goal is. You know, I'm supposed to be a reflection of Jesus in this situation. So I don't think there was ever apprehension Like it was always one that no, this is just my role and this is what I'm supposed to do. God's in control and this is what I'm supposed to do.

Speaker 2: 5:23

Wow, yeah, that's quite a perspective to have, because I mean, but you're going into it. You're going into knowing that there's risks, but you're saying, even with the risks, you have peace about it.

Speaker 1: 5:35

Yeah, so one of my favorite stories is I was getting bullied when I was like like probably seven or eight, and it was the next door neighbor who was like 10. And you know, I was going through like he was about to start beating me up. And he was, he was hitting me and stuff. But I saw out of the corner of my eye, I saw the blinds on my window go up and it was my I think she was 12 at the time, sister, you know, and I knew she was about to come out and protect me, right?

Speaker 2: 6:05

So I knew that I was like.

Speaker 1: 6:06

So I started smiling as this guy was beating me up, because then my sister came out and whooped him. So I think that's kind of like how I relate all this to is like it's we have a just God, a good God, and he's in control, and so there's. There's just like the Bible says 365 times be not afraid, be not afraid, be not afraid. So there's a plan and I can trust in that.

Speaker 2: 6:30

Yeah, and then what about when you as in your field you guys see some of the darkest nights of people period, right Like you get to see people at their very, very worst. How do you not lose hope in humanity after kind of seeing that over and over again on your shift?

Speaker 1: 6:48

Yeah, and that's one where it's, once again, is that's what scripture tells us, though, about the world. Right Is, you know, be in the world, but not of the world. It's like the heart is deceitful above all things. It's like the heart is deceitful above all things. I remember that was one of the most shocking things is how people lie when I first got into this, but it's very hard, and that's why a lot of stuff becomes cynical, and it's something I have to fight against. But at the same time, I have to realize I mean, this is what they've been battling for since the creation of the world is the comparison mentality is I needed to be saved by Jesus too? Right, and so if I put myself up on this pedestal that I'm so much better than anyone else, I'm missing the point of the gospel that I needed the cross, and so do they, and that's what my job is yeah, so you kind of get to see them for their humanity as you're pursuing them for the crimes and all the things yeah, and it's the same.

Speaker 1: 7:56

You know and I'm not saying I'm the same, but Jesus, when he looks upon the multitudes right before he's, you know about to be crucified by the same people and he has compassion, right, a gut wrenching um, compassion for these people because they're sheep without a shepherd and not like, once again, it's just trying to maintain that perspective and I will tell you that, um, it was a lot easier when I had a dog that was working with me, um, that all those burdens and the darkness that you see, it was so nice to be able to come back to the car and scratch a furry head right or jump out and play ball with him. So and that's one of the things I actually talk about in the book is, I realize, like, what a great partnership it was having a dog in the car right, because in those moments you do, I mean it's a lot to carry and there is a lot of darkness.

Speaker 2: 8:47

Yeah, I I have to admit I teared up towards your last chapter and I was like man, that's so sad that you know, it's like you don't get to bring him with you anymore and the benefit, the bond that you had, is so incredible. I mean just Mattis, his presence is, what he brought to the table is amazing, which is a good gateway to get into that. So how did you become a Canine officer? How did Mattis kind of come into your life? Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Speaker 1: 9:34

I saw I was in. I was in SWAT at the time and we were doing a public event and I've always I've always tried to take advantage of public events to build a bridge with the community and just kind of talk about what we do and show who we are'm telling all the amazing stories that we have and the equipment that we have and I'm showing it off and you know kids are loving it.

Speaker 1: 9:51

And then this guy and I know him as a person, right, I'm like he's not even that good of a guy. He shows up with a dog in a dirty car and blocks of people are just fascinated by the dog and, like I said earlier I think I said I don't know if I did my dad field trained labs growing up, so I was always around like well-trained, intelligent dogs and I'm fascinated by what they can do. I love them, but spots on the canine unit don't open up very often. So I had that fascination, but I knew I'd have to give up SWAT. And then I saw this other element that I didn't even think of and it's the way that the dog creates a bridge between people and the police. And so I saw that and I remember thinking that's what I want to do and it was appealing for the bridge that it created and to the challenge.

Speaker 1: 10:44

I always wanted to do my best in whatever I do and I thought SWAT was a pinnacle and SWAT is amazing and I love it and I did spend six and a half years doing it. Um, but being with the dog and training him. It's a 24 seven commitment that you are always training or untraining that dog, and I saw it as like the greatest challenge in law enforcement as well. So I love the challenge idea to it, as and I remember talking to my dad and saying, hey, I think I'm going to give this a shot, and he was like, well, you're not getting any younger, It'd be nice to have a dog that could help you do the job I'm like, yeah, that's not, that's not bad either.

Speaker 1: 11:21

I like that, yeah. So, uh, yeah, I I had my first dog, um, nico, and Nico was a great dog. He had another handler and he had some issues, and I had some issues as a trainer and, um, yeah, I went through a trainer school to try to get better as a, as a handler, um, and to learn how to train the dogs. And I, uh, after nico retired because he went blind in his left eye, that's where I went and picked mattis and how did you know that was the dog?

Speaker 2: 11:52

like what was the differentiator? I didn't want him he was way too big, like he was uh that picture where you have, we were holding him. It looks like it's's like. You know graphic designer worked on it and blew him up out of proportion because he looks too big like huge, yep, and I am small, like.

Speaker 1: 12:12

I'm not a tall guy, I'm five, six, and that's one of the reasons I wanted a smaller dog. One of the trends in law enforcement and military working dogs has been towards Belgian Malinois and they're a little bit smaller. They're about usually about 75 pounds is a good size one, and I was looking to get one 65 to 75 pounds. We call them pocket rocket mouths, and I went to this kennel to select dogs and I told them I'm like, yeah, this is what I'm looking for. They're like, okay, and they showed me all the dogs they had and they're like, hey, we just want to get this one dog out, just for some exercise. He's supposed to be a personal protection dog, but the buyer backed out, so, um, we just want to make sure that you know we're doing something with him. And so I'm like, okay, yeah, get him out.

Speaker 1: 12:56

And I tested all the dogs and then the last one to get out was this dog named Cayman Um, and he jumps out of the car humongous, 100 pound German shepherd. And I'm like, yep, nope, that's not the one Um. And they're like, oh, that's the personal protection dog. I'm like, oh, okay, good, and I didn't want him. I'm like, okay, cool, do you want to do your test with him? Like yeah, sure he needs the exercise. So I started doing the tests and he's blowing me away Like his, his effort, his speed, his tenacity, his perseverance. I'm like he was off the charts. And the last test that I do is I do this I put on the bite suit, which is the protective gear, and you go and you test the dog's bite and you do it in different ways and I went through nine different dogs are flying at me and you can definitely feel through the bite suit.

Speaker 1: 13:44

Yeah, I've seen the videos where you have on there where it's like you feel it, but it's not as yeah, and I like thin suits too, because it's better for the dog, right, like, if you ever see the super fluffy ones, they're more protective but it gives the dog a really bad picture, right, because you want the dog to be able to translate training to real life.

Speaker 2: 14:03

And so.

Speaker 1: 14:03

I like the thinner suits that still protect you. And so I go and stand in the corner and catch all these dogs and I'm like, okay, they're pretty good. And then Cayman comes in. And here's the funny thing Most dogs, when they get in that situation, they start barking their heads off and they're going nuts, just losing it because they're so excited they can't control it. And just like, fixated at the person, the bite suit, cayman walks in mattis and he starts just looking, not barking, just looking around the room, calm, cool, collected, focused, intense.

Speaker 1: 14:39

I'm like what is going on with this dog? And then I'm like maybe he doesn't know what we're about to do. And so I go and stand in the corner like I did with all the other dogs, and he comes in, they send him and he crushes me like harder than I've been bitten by any dog in the history of my training time. And that's like hundreds of dogs. I'm like this dog is amazing and I was like that's it, that's that's the dog for me, like just not because he, he bit hard and he tried hard, but that focus he had, he had something that was just intangible, where he wasn't going crazy, he was just into the moment and understood that there is a job to be done. It was really cool.

Speaker 2: 15:23

Wow, and to look back now, thinking you could have possibly not selected that dog and what you would have missed out on right, it's incredible.

Speaker 1: 15:30

Yeah, yeah. And if you read the book, there's another story that comes after that that almost prevented me from keeping him as my dog too. So, like there's all these obstacles that really could have prevented me from being teamed up with this amazing dog that really could have prevented me from being teamed up with this amazing dog.

Speaker 2: 15:50

Yeah, what are some of the training that goes into a canine for the force that maybe people wouldn't have think of, know or think about?

Speaker 1: 15:54

Well, like I said earlier, you're always training or untraining the dog. So that 24-7 period that you're with that dog, every interaction that you have, is a training moment. So if you let them get away with something, then you're teaching them that it's okay. It's just like with kids, and with people, too is like every interaction matters, and you have to think of it that way. Really, training the dog is easy. It's the people that usually get in the way, and so it's learning what the dog's motivation is.

Speaker 1: 16:25

And to start off with the motivation for the dog, like for Mattis, it was his toy. That was what he wanted more than anything, and so you teach him. If you do this, for me, this is how you get your toy, that's it Right, and so that's how he does his job. His tail is wagging, he's happy, everything's a game to him the more advanced you get. He does it because he wants to make you happy, because he respects you, and that's the point that you need to get to if you're going to be a good handler is that the dog respects you, and that's just from time and trust and him knowing that you're fair and in the way that you reward him.

Speaker 2: 17:05

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:11

Do you mind sharing the story of how Mattis got his Purple Heart? Yeah, yeah, and it was one like. There's so much to this story of like, self-doubt and all these other things. But it was basically. We had a car that was running from us and they had robbed a few people. They ended up crashing the vehicle. Jumping out of.

Speaker 1: 17:36

The guys was running because, oddly enough, I had been on with another canine track in the same area prior to me having a dog and I'm like, hey, last time you went this way, so I'm going to try that way too. And sure enough, the guy comes the exact same way from years before and he's coming behind the strip mall. It has like restaurants and shops and stuff in it and it backs up to a creek and between the creek and the strip mall is this large retaining wall At places. I knew that that wall was only about 10 feet high and so I knew that I got Mattis, or I jumped out of the car and started running behind the strip mall and I hit my door popper, which is a device that flings Mattis' door open, and he knows that he's supposed to run next to me, and so I hit the door popper. Mattis starts running right next to me and, sure enough, here comes the guy right behind the strip mall. He sees us freezes tell him to stop, he doesn't. He jumps over the retaining wall. And so I go to the point where he is and I start to leap over the retaining wall and I see that the guy's still falling and I'm like, oh my gosh, this is not 10 feet, we're about. It seemed like 50 feet, it turned out to be 30 feet. So I catch myself because I'm about to die.

Speaker 1: 18:55

And then, out of the corner of my eye, as I catch myself and hold myself up, I see Mattis take the leap, and it's an image that's frozen in my mind, always will be, because it's the first time I saw fear in my dog's face, his body posture. He looked back at me and he was falling. He landed on the guy. He looked up at me as if to say what now, dad? Because he was just supposed to be running next to me. And so I told Mattis to guard the guy, and eventually I got there to make sure that he was to take the guy into custody and make sure my dog was OK and Mattis wasn't showing any signs of any kind of injury and they called me on the radio and said hey, the other guy is running away from us, we need you over here.

Speaker 1: 19:42

So I got Mattis, ran like a quarter mile with him back to the car, loaded him up, went to the other location. We fly past everyone else just in a full sprint, mattis running by my side and the direction he went. We catch up to him. He sees Mattis and he gives up and so he caught two people.

Speaker 1: 20:00

And then Mattis collapsed because he had a lacerated liver. He had internal bleeding from the first fall and it was just one of those that the drive to the vet was a blur and the doubts and the frustrations in my life like I was having in that moment, like why did I hit the door popper? Why did I let him run by my side? Why didn't I hook him up to a leash Like I was, I was very upset, walked him into the vet. They were waiting for me at the edge and they loaded him up onto a gurney and I had to go back with them. They let me go back, which was nice because mattis is, he's a calm dog when I'm around, but if you take me out of the equation, he can be protective yeah, because he's trained to be protected, right correct.

Speaker 1: 20:53

And I go back and, um, I'm loading him up onto the x-ray, just holding him him tight to myself so he doesn't squirm, he doesn't hurt himself anymore. And I get the x-rays done and the vet looks at me and he says we got to get him into surgery right away. And that's not what you want to hear.

Speaker 2: 21:09

And at that point, how many years were you already working with him?

Speaker 1: 21:14

Just barely one, if that, okay. And that was the doubts, and that's what crept in the rest of the night as I'm waiting for the surgery to be done. Um is, I'm like I just probably ruined this dog. Um, he might die. Um, I don't think he'll ever be a police dog again, and he was an amazing police dog. So there were so many all these elements that were flying into my head and it was. It was a. It was a rough, rough night and good ending to the story. He was fine back at work within a month. It was kind of cool.

Speaker 1: 21:52

I was telling someone else about this story. Is they put it out on on Facebook? The department did, and so hundreds of people were praying for my dog and by the time they opened him up, even though he had the internal bleeding, they could see it. Um, they knew that he was losing blood. Uh, his blood pressure was low. By the time they had opened him up and went to repair, uh, the lacerated liver, it had already repaired itself. Wow, so that's miracle number one of his life.

Speaker 2: 22:21

That's incredible. That's incredible. What a bond you guys have. I'm just so amazed by the bond that you all share and all the different adventures that you've been on with Mattis and you guys. Have over 6 million followers between all the different social medias TikTok, instagram, facebook and so forth. That's pretty incredible. And also he's arguably the most popular canine police dog in America, which is amazing.

Speaker 1: 22:51

He's a good dog. He's a really good dog, and that was the thing about America's Top Dog that I really appreciated was because I took an approach to training my dog, that he could go anywhere with me, Kids could interact with him, and so I made him extremely social. He was very social and confident to start off with, but I made sure that that was a priority in our lives so I could take advantage of of the community relations aspect. And there was a lot of criticism that came along with that, because there's some in the industry that are very much a dog as a tool. No one touches him, but you, um, you know. And then the thought process is is if you do that to a dog, they become soft, and what you saw in Mattis and I think America's Top Dog helped prove this.

Speaker 1: 23:41

Anyone who's trained with him knows that he's not a soft dog. It's kind of like I was in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They talk about Aslan and they say he's dangerous but he's good. Right, and that's how I always saw my dog is yeah, he can be dangerous if I ask him to, but he's good. And so I took this approach and that was the America's Top Dog showed he could be excellent at the work that he does and still be good and gentle at the same time.

Speaker 2: 24:14

I mean, he was pretty fierce and focused in that show. I've seen clips of that show and was like he was going for it and I was like, wow, this dog is incredible, incredible. And I could see, too, why that could be a fine line, because, you know, the dog is essentially trained to attack civilians who are putting other civilians at risk, right. And then you're putting them with civilians who are, you know, just being friendly and interacting, so it's kind of like you.

Speaker 1: 24:37

And then you're putting them with civilians who are, you know, just being friendly and interacting, so it's kind of like you have to be a really good trainer for them to know the difference yeah, and what I saw was in the private industry they do it all the time, like they have these sport dogs and they compete in protection sports and they have these dogs that they have to be able to take anywhere and interact with all kinds of people, and I was like they can do it, why can't I? And so it's just a higher level of training and attention and then selecting the right dog as well.

Speaker 2: 25:07

Yeah, so how did you guys end up on that show? America's Top Dog? How did that come about?

Speaker 1: 25:11

Ah it was. They actually contacted me because someone else had applied and when you apply they always ask hey, can you think of anyone else? And so it was kind of because of my social media and just having relationships there that someone said, hey, you should check out Mark and Mattis. And then we did zoom interviews and of course you know people fall in love with Mattis. He's got a good story.

Speaker 2: 25:37

So yeah, and in the middle of that you were going through surgery, so you were just coming out of your surgery and you didn't even hear back. And then you heard back, like last minute you guys are in and it was like let's roll. And they flew you out and there you are, like doing all the training that seems. How was that experience for you of, you know, being taken out of the force? Your, you know your regular job and now you're doing something completely different, but yet you're still utilizing the same skillset.

Speaker 1: 26:08

Yeah, it was incredible. It's kind of funny and one of the stories in the book was the training for the show is a little bit different than the training for real life and I didn't think it was going to present an obstacle, but it did, like right before we left for the show. Because one of the things in the show and we actually this is what cost us the championship is Mattis was a little slow coming off the bite and coming back to me. Most of the time I'm with him and I have control of him and he pops off the second. You know, every deployment I've ever had he pops off the second that I want him to. We went to this one call right, like literally the day before we left to go to film the show and I had been training that it's just pop off the bite, pop off the bite, pop off the bite the first word out of my mouth just come off.

Speaker 1: 26:56

And we went to this and it was like a violent domestic. The guy was attacking his family with a baseball bat. He had barricaded himself in a room and so I sent mattis into this dark room just completely pitch black. Um, and mattis latches onto the guy and then I, I'm grabbing onto his leash and I'm and I want him to drag him to me, which is one of the techniques that we use, so he latches on and I can drag him. The second I touched the leash he popped off and ran back to me. He's like all right, what do you want? And I'm like no, no, oh, I messed you up and so I'm like all right, you get back in there and I'm going with you this time. So we go both. Go back in the guys like about to swing the bat, we jump on top of him, mattis grabs him, but I protected my dog from getting hit, but it was.

Speaker 2: 27:45

It was a interesting reminder that sometimes the two don't necessarily match up the tv show and the yeah, because you were telling him to let go in the show and he's like still, you're like come on, and then he finally let's go, yeah and I couldn't get mad because it's like no, your your last interaction.

Speaker 1: 28:00

I told you no, get back in the fight, yeah.

Speaker 2: 28:03

Yeah, what are some benefits with working with a canine in your line of work?

Speaker 1: 28:09

Oh, I mean their noses is the reason that we use them. So that's the number one is just the things that they can do with their nose is incredible. You know he can track and I have a story in the book about his tracking, how he blew me away with that Over miles. They can track someone and the more time you put into it, the better they'll be at it. And then finding like he was a narcotics dog and that's where a lot of the seizures and stuff that you talked about in arrest came from was just him using his nose to find things that I would have never been able to find. One of the coolest things is article search, which basically it means he can find an article that has human odor on it. And this comes into play like I helped a surrounding jurisdiction, they we tracked a guy, but he had hidden a gun somewhere, and so I'm asking that dog to find something with human odor on it, which there's human odor everywhere so how do you do that?

Speaker 2: 29:02

what is the command for that?

Speaker 1: 29:04

like fine, you know what is the command yeah, it's a port, and it's a different command than go find like tracking has a different command, finding drugs has a different command. A port means I want you to go find human odor on an object somewhere in this area. Wow, which is like, once again I'm in the area. I have human odor all over myself. The fact that he can distinguish what odor, it's just incredible. And he found it inside of a shed, under a board in the floor, like it was in there, like oh no, we checked the shed, you don't need to look there. And'm like, well, my dog's telling me, so I'm just gonna, I'm gonna look. I have no offense to you guys, sure enough. I pull up a rug, pull up a board, and then there's the gun and they're like, oh, my goodness, that dog's cool.

Speaker 1: 29:50

I'm like, yeah, so that's the main benefit yes, so many times throughout my career that that was said. But then the other thing is the bridge they, they, they build with the community, right? So I want to be excellent in three ways. When I, when I was running the canine unit, and that was be excellent in our deployments, be excellent in our training and then be excellent in community relations.

Speaker 2: 30:19

And so that's where the whole social media and just trying to build that bridge came from. Yeah, and I love how you used the three children's book that you put out about your dog and some of them have incredible reviews. I think you have over 2000 reviews in the first book. And how have you been using the books and how have the books in general been used to kind of build the bridge between your story, your line of work and just the citizens?

Speaker 1: 30:45

Well, one is like, on a kind of a micro level, is me going and reading to different schools and stuff. I love that opportunity to be able to reach out to my community and read books, reach out to my community and read books. But then there's a lot of people throughout the US that ended up buying the books and buying it for schools and buying it for police departments so they can reach out. So things that I didn't even consider might happen with the book were really, really impactful on my life and I saw that, man, this can make a big difference in the canine world and the perception of police. And yeah, so it's gone further than I expected it to.

Speaker 2: 31:26

And what was your hope Like when you were writing the children's book? What was your initial thought behind that?

Speaker 1: 31:31

That my daughter would like it. That's it. At the time she was six and I was telling her because I'd started to try to write an adult book. But I'm like I don't know if this is going to work. She's like what are you doing, daddy? And so I kind of explained I'm writing this story about Mattis and I tried to tell it in words to her and she started crying. It made this emotional connection and I'm like maybe that can make a difference in not just my daughter's life but other kids as well. They can connect with police and see that dogs are amazing, they do an incredible job and we're real people that care about other people and we're trying to protect you.

Speaker 2: 32:09

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we didn't have you guys to protect us from all sorts of things, you know the world would be a mess. So I really want to say thank you for your service. It's important, oh, my pleasure. So you have now a book for adults, a Dog Named Mattis. Yes, I got the advanced copy, so I don't have your conclusion and I'm really curious about the conclusion.

Speaker 1: 32:36

What have you?

Speaker 2: 32:36

concluded in the story story? And yeah, tell me a little bit about that, I'm curious I can't, I can't tell you the conclusion.

Speaker 1: 32:46

Right, that one's the. You gotta read the book if you want the conclusion?

Speaker 2: 32:49

okay, guys go get your book where other books are sold no, I mean it really saw.

Speaker 1: 32:56

It was kind of funny because I didn't want to write the conclusion, because I knew it would be hard.

Speaker 2: 33:00

Your last chapter was hard. I was like man. My heart is breaking for Mark right now.

Speaker 1: 33:06

Yeah, well, yeah, the conclusion to. I mean there's good, it is, it's, it's, it doesn't. It's not a bad story. Mattis is still alive, just to let everyone know. Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. He's still my best buddy. He's slowing down a bit but he's doing good. Still acts like a puppy at times, but yeah, it was one of those that I was like I don't know if the conclusion I knew emotionally it was going to take a lot for me to pour into the conclusion and my publisher was like you got to and I'm like okay, and so I did, and they're like you have a deadline, yeah, and I was very happy with the conclusion and how it turned out, but it was a lot it's.

Speaker 1: 34:15

I love this. I love this story Because I love the dog so much. The book is cool because it's not just me doing it. It's people believed in me when I didn't believe in myself that I could do it.

Speaker 2: 34:19

I'm a college dropout and a Marine. We all know what the stereotype of Marines is that we're crayon eaters. I don't think't think.

Speaker 1: 34:22

I heard that, okay, you haven't no, most people have, I think. But people believed in me and all the right connections, like all these God things happen to bring it about and it became so much more than I ever thought it could be, and I'm so excited about that.

Speaker 2: 34:42

Yeah, and I mean I think your story is still unfolding, right. So it's interesting to look at someone's tapestry of life and how you know the dots connected, looking at all the different points of your life and you know you choosing mattis um and all the different ways and places that it led you and ways that he's helped you. But also your story's unfolding as it is too, and I think with the release of this book there's going to be more doors and opportunities that'll open for you to share your message, the things you're passionate about, continuing to create that bridge between you and your line of work. So that's exciting. What are some things that you have kind of on the forefront that you're looking forward to?

Speaker 1: 35:30

Well, seeing what this does is extremely exciting Hoping, like you said, like speaking engagements. I I used to be a youth pastor and I love I've spoken at conferences and things like that. So the fact that through being a canine officer and that that might lead to even more ministry is so exciting to me. Um, that's, you know, if I I got a, a dm from someone who told you know, because it is, it's a collection of police stories and what it is is it's the lens by which I look at my life and it's just the way that God works through. All these different avenues is the way that I see it. But it's some cool police stories and so people like this lady she says I've been away from my faith, but I looked at your book and there was hope there and it's such a heartwarming message but also the way that you're able to view challenges.

Speaker 1: 36:30

And you know, the story's not about Mattis' arc. It's about my arc through Mattis, which was kind of a change that they're like, oh, we need to see an ark and the dog and I'm like, no, no, no, no. The ark's here is that God's at work in my life. He was an awesome dog from the second I got it and so she said you know, thank you so much for the impact it had on my life and just bringing me back to the faith, and so I did not expect that to happen from the book. It was literally. I want to tell this awesome story about my dog and how God worked in my life, and the fact that it can have a greater impact than that is such a blessing.

Speaker 2: 37:13

I love that. What do you hope people will get out of your book?

Speaker 1: 37:18

That is, that they'll they'll be able to look at the events of their life through the lens of how is God working here? Right, I almost lost my dog. He should have never been a police dog. There's all these things that we were talking about, and you said tapestry of my life, that you can look back and see the fingerprints of God, and just knowing that you might not see it until you're able to look back, but, like, I've gone through some painful things in my life, and just with Mattis, but as a whole, but I see the fingerprints of God throughout the whole thing to get me to the place where I am now, god throughout the whole thing to get me to the place where I am now.

Speaker 1: 38:01

And so if the book can help you see the same in your own life is that God is at work. Just trust in the process. You know, and even crying out at times I don't get it, god, but I'm going to trust you that eventually he has a plan. He's promised us that he's working for the good of those who love him and were called according to his purpose, and so God's at work in your life too. So if they can get that out of the book, that would be amazing.

Speaker 2: 38:28

I love that. And where can people find you, Mark? I mean, you're pretty a social media sensation, as they say with Mattis, If you.

Speaker 1: 38:40

yeah, instagram is probably my main one. If you go on to Instagram and type in Mattis, you'll be able to find us. My dog, mattis, is my website. That's another way that you can kind of connect to all the things that we're doing. So those are the main ones. Tiktok is a big one too, if you want to look there, mattis.

Speaker 2: 38:57

Yeah, he got several million views on that, one for sure. Followers Mattis yeah, he got several million views on that one for sure. Followers um, yeah, that's amazing. The other thing I wanted to ask you is um, what is the one thing that you wish people knew? Um, just regular civilians like us knew from your line of work? Like, what was that one message that you would want? Like, if you could share with the public, the world's listening Mark, what is something you want?

Speaker 1: 39:20

to tell them. That's huge and it's always been my, my, um, my goal with the community relations is just that I'm, I'm a dad, I'm a husband, um, I'm, I'm a guy. That's who I am, and I think the message isn't just for civilians but it's for police as well is that take the time and try to consider the other point of view, but take the time to care about the other point of view. I think that's the biggest thing with both sides. Is we like to, I mean, even as Christians? Right, it's like, how can they do that?

Speaker 1: 39:55

And once again, getting back to the us versus them, or the hypocrites, it's like I need Jesus too, and you need Jesus, so let's talk about that. Right, I'm a person in need of grace, and so are you, and the common ground is Jesus, that we need him. So let's start from a place of compassion and care about the message of the other side that might not be willing to listen. So that's been my goal, and what I hope people take from this is just, I'm a person and I'm trying to do the very best that I can to honor my God.

Speaker 2: 40:33

Yeah, that's good. Well, I usually wrap up my podcast with asking three questions, which is what is the bravest thing you've ever done? Oh, there's a lot of them in your duty, so give us an example the bravest thing I've ever done.

Speaker 1: 40:49

Um, yeah, I'm trying to think of things that were, you know where. It was just full of fear and I did it anyway, you know, because that what courage. So many of the other stories are other people's acts of courage. I mean, I kind of want to say like this is seems cheesy, but like proposing to my wife was probably the most fear filled I've ever been, is just like. Will she say yes, will she take me? Will she love me as much as I love her?

Speaker 2: 41:22

Yeah, so I don't know if that's a cop out with all the cop stories and stuff, but I'd say that, oh, that's funny, a cop out with the cop stories. No, that is Because, like you said, courage requires bravery, right, it's fearing failure on the other side, like there is a risk that you're taking in that step of courage, and so that's a good one. What are three books that were most impactful for your life?

Speaker 1: 41:50

Ooh good. So not to give you a cop out again, the book of 1 John changed my life right One verse in particular if anyone would come after him, he must walk as Jesus did. So outside I'll only say first John, but please know, it's the entire Bible. I would say that what the dog knows. It was an incredible book that taught me that you need to be an expert in your field. Right Is that you need to learn from another perspective. So that was extremely helpful. And then one more. I would say oh, can I just go with a poem? Yeah, okay, I hate that word, by the way, I can't say the word poem.

Speaker 1: 42:35

Anyway, if by Rudyard Kipling always played a huge role in my life, because my mom would say it all the time to us. She had it memorized and there's a few lines in there that really resonate with me. One is if you can keep your head wall around, you're losing theirs and blaming it on you. That's one. And then, um, at the end it says what's more? It goes through this amazing just ways to be a good man, and at the end he says if you can do these things, you'll be a man. My son and he wrote rudyard kipling wrote that to his son who was in prison, and his son's response was if you'd only told me this before I got incarcerated right, and that was such a. So because of that I love the poem If by Rudyard Kipling.

Speaker 2: 43:29

Wow, yeah, I actually viewed that this week, which is so odd, but no way yeah. And so I'm very familiar with that poem. My son actually had to memorize that for a school when he was in the classical academy and he came home and he really resonated with that too.

Speaker 1: 43:47

It's such the words are incredible, Incredible.

Speaker 2: 43:51

Yeah, it's a really powerful because it's like you're taking responsibility for your end of life, right and in the midst of it all, whether things are good or bad around you, you're doing your part in a way that's honorable, and when you that way, when you look back at your life, you can be proud of the man that you've become, which is incredible yes yeah, what is something that I haven't asked you, that you wish that I asked, oh goodness, or share.

Speaker 1: 44:28

How amazing is my wife, which is incredible, like she, it's, it's so cool. And this is another thing. She's the perfect balance in my life. Um, she, she's the best person I know. Um, she oozes compassion and kindness and selflessness. And I ripped her out of California and moved her across the country when she was pregnant with our second kid, so out of Mission Viejo, where she was born and raised, to come with me on this unknown adventure. And I do like, if you watch my social media, I do some stupid, like, just goofy, stupid stuff, and she just rolls her eyes, shakes her head, but she always loves me. So I'd say that Not many people ask about her because she's the quiet behind the goofiness up front and I would not be the man I am without her. Mattis wouldn't be the dog that he is either. So she's an amazing woman.

Speaker 2: 45:23

Yeah, let's go there for a second. How is that dynamic like? Were you coming back from? You know just horrendous things you've seen back into your home. What is that dynamic like and how does that work? What is?

Speaker 1: 45:39

that dynamic like, and how does that work? Yeah, there's so much that I have to keep to myself which that's why having a dog was so nice is because I could share that burden. Without faith, I don't know how I'd do it. It's just because I can't subject other people to the same burdens that I always carry. There's resources that we have as police officers, there's chaplains, the church that we go to, small groups, things like that that are super helpful, but I have to protect my family from a lot, and so you just realize that when you come through the door a lot of times you have to compartmentalize certain things. That's one of the reasons that it was so hard when Mattis retired was he helped with my compartmentalization. He was my heavy head on my shoulder. That gave me comfort, and so when he retired, that was a great tool that was taken from me.

Speaker 2: 46:31

Oh, and you were able to talk to him in the car and just like vent and work through stuff.

Speaker 1: 46:37

Yeah, especially mostly about traffic, about people driving too slow or something.

Speaker 2: 46:41

And in Atlantalanta georgia that circle. I lived in atlanta so I know that whole oh, yeah, uh and everything in atlanta is peach tree something. I mean that was so confusing. I'm like, why is every street road peach tree, peach tree, this boulevard, peachtree Street, peachtree North South, it's like did they run out of words?

Speaker 1: 47:05

Yeah, but at the same time, the same road will have 19 different names as well. So here it'll be like it'll be Highway 9. It'll be Atlanta Highway. It'll be Main Street, south Main Street. It's the same road. Like, why are you naming it 19 times? Just call it one thing. Yeah, everything turns into Peachtree eventually.

Speaker 2: 47:26

Yeah, yeah, and so the last question I have is what is the one best piece of advice that you were given?

Speaker 1: 47:42

Hmm, I think from my uncle. Well, two one is what my dad said is all that dog wants to do is make you happy? That's in dog training. That's been the most useful thing in my life. And then my uncle he's the reason I went to the Marine Corps. He's an incredibly generous, successful, compassionate man. He's a former Marine, successful, compassionate man. He's a former Marine, attributes a lot of that to the Marine Corps and he told me about intelligent people. And he said intelligent people don't. How did he say it? He said they don't just communicate in a way that they understand, but they are able to communicate in a way that anyone can understand, but they are able to communicate in a way that anyone can understand. And until I got older, I didn't understand that like I should have. But it's realizing that people have different point of views and a wise man or woman is able to consider those other point of views and communicate to people in a way that they can understand and that, more and more as I live, my life has the greatest impact.

Speaker 2: 48:47

Yeah, that's really good Because I think to understand is so important right To understand other perspectives, that understanding people's perspective when they're coming from, because you can see people through their scars, through their trauma, through difficulty, and that's how we can have compassion for somebody who's living in a way that maybe the choices they're making aren't choices that we would make today, but we don't know the issues that they walk through and the story that they have to, the why behind all the actions.

Speaker 1: 49:16

Always one of my biggest struggles was why can't you just do this like I do this, and it's like, well, that would be a boring and nonproductive world, you know, if everyone did it the exact same way that I did it, and we need all these different pieces and these different worldviews and these different talents and gifts to fit in, to do it right talents and gifts to fit in, to do it right.

Speaker 2: 49:42

Yeah Well, Mark, thank you so much for coming on the show and just sharing your perspective, your story, your incredible journey with your dog Mattis.

Speaker 1: 49:50

Thank you so much for having me. It means a lot. I appreciate it.

Speaker 2: 49:53

Yeah, and so go wherever books are sold Amazon, barnes and Nobles, all the places. A book called A Dog Named Mattis by Mark Tappan. Thank you, thanks, guys. Thank you for listening to the Once we Dare podcast. It is an honor to share these encouraging stories with you. If you enjoy the show, I would love for you to tell your friends, leave us a reviewer rating and subscribe to wherever you listen to podcasts, because