K9 Judge – Allentown, Pennsylvania

Died – 3/1/24
Handler – Chief Lee T. Laubach Jr.

Judge, beloved Allentown arson dog, dies at 14: ‘He was the best K-9 partner’

The Allentown Fire Department’s former arson K-9 Judge died Friday, just a few days short of his 15th birthday.Judge’s handler, retired fire Chief Lee T. Laubach Jr., posted on the dog’s Facebook page that Judge died earlier Friday morning.“He was the best K9 partner I could ever had. He was 12 days shy of his 15th birthday. He lived and loved his life right to the very end. Thank you for all your support and prayers,” the post reads in part.Judge, a yellow Labrador retriever, was the fire department’s arson K-9 from 2011 until 2018, when both he and Laubach retired. In 2016, Judge was named the 2016 American Hero Dog by the American Humane Association for his work with the department. Judge was selected as a hero dog in the arson category, which was decided by a combination of votes from the public and the opinion of 30 judges.The retired K-9 could identify 61 fire accelerants and would sniff through debris at scenes to see if there were any used in a fire. At the time of his award, he had worked on over 275 fire scenes.In addition to fire investigations, Judge would participate in fire safety programs for crime watch groups, specialty dog shows and school programs.The retired fire chief has said people were drawn to Judge’s expressive personality. He once said Judge was the “face of the department.”“When you’re a K-9 handler of a K-9 like Judge, you just kind of stand back and let him do his thing,” Laubach said in a video for the American Humane Society.Although Judge had not been with the fire department for years, the Lab’s Facebook page has remained active, with pictures and videos of the dog. The page has more than 2,000 followers.In early October, the page posted that Judge had fluid in his abdomen, making it hard for him to breath.“He will not be with us much longer. Right now, he is a happy dog. He will let us know when it is time to move on,” the post read in part.The update Friday on Judge’s passing prompted a number of condolence responses and reactions. Many noted the great service Judge provided, and how much he will be missed. Allentown police were among those expressing condolences.“Our deepest condolences during this difficult time! Thank you for your service to our community and all the wonderful moments we all were able to witness! Rest In Peace K9 Judge,” Chief Charles Roca wrote.

Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.