Milford K9 officer and dog honored after rescuing missing autistic boy

WASHINGTON — The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has named Milford, Massachusetts, K9 Officer Brian Sanchioni and his partner, Titan, as its Officers of the Month for April 2025 after they pulled a missing 8-year-old autistic boy from chest-deep water.

Sanchioni and Titan responded April 29 when the boy’s mother reported he had climbed out a bedroom window and vanished. Knowing the child was nonverbal and attracted to water, the pair tracked through backyards and along a stream until Titan plunged in, swam under a small bridge and found the boy clinging to a tree, the fund said. Sanchioni waded in and carried the child to safety; he was reunited with his family unharmed.

“Officer Sanchioni and Titan demonstrated the critical…