Retired K-9 Missing in Tornado Found by Warren County Firefighter Zach Hearn

ISSAQUENA, Miss. (VDN) — A retired K-9, missing after a tornado destroyed a Warren County Sheriff Deputy’s home in Issaquena County, has been found by Warren County Firefighter Captain Zachary Hearn.

Yesterday morning, a tornado tore through Issaquena County, destroying homes, including the home of Warren County Sheriff Deputy Mitt Goza. In addition to losing his home, one of Goza’s dogs lost their life in the storm, and another, Titus, a former police dog, was missing. Several people with the Sheriff’s Office and the Warren County Fire Service raced to Goza’s assistance.

Throughout the day, Sheriff Pace, Chief Deputy Bobby Stewart, Warren County Fire Coordinator Jerry Briggs, Haley Briggs, and others, including Emergency Management Director John Elfer, worked to recover what they could for Goza from the storm. A search for the retired K-9 was unsuccessful, and officials transported his other pets to the Warren County Humane Society.

Later in the day, others from Warren County, including Captain Zach Hearn, showed up at the property to assist however they could. “We were surveying the damage, and about 200 yards from the house, I saw the dog trapped under a fence and debris,” said Hearn. “We had to move several pieces off the dog to free him. Since he was once a police dog we were very cautious about getting him out and waited until his owner was nearby.”

After a few minutes of moving debris, Hearn was able to free the retired K-9 successfully.

“He’s been transported to a vet,” said Hearn. “He looked to have injuries to his legs but otherwise seemed uninjured. We were able to load him into a truck for transport.”

“Kudos to the Warren County Fire Service for searching for Titus and recovering him as if he were a missing person,” said Sheriff Martin Pace. On Saturday evening, Titus was transported to the Vicksburg Animal Clinic, where veterinarians met him. Doctors Steve Krapac and Rachel Potter received and cared for Titus. “We appreciate the dedication and professionalism of the Animal Medical Clinic for meeting us Saturday evening to care for Titus.”

Titus was released this morning after being kept overnight for observation.

This is the second dog recovery Hearn has been a part of this week. On Monday evening Captain Hearn led a team that recovered a 170-pound English Mastiff that was stuck in the mud on the Big Black River at Highway 27.

Hearn has been serving as a firefighter for 10 years.

The Warren County Fire Service

The Warren County Fire Service is an all-volunteer group of citizens dedicated to helping their neighbors in their time of need. If you want to become a Warren County Firefighter, they will give you all the training you need. In addition to firefighters, they also have positions for people to help with maintaining equipment, filling out paperwork at incident scenes, and other support services. Contact Warren County Fire Coordinator Jerry Briggs at 601-218-9911 for more information on how you can help.