K9 Eric – Darke, Ohio

Handler – Deputy Jay Pearson

Darke County Sheriff’s Office mourns the passing of K-9 Deputy Eric

The Darke County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook on Friday that retired K-9 Deputy Eric has passed away. The seven-year veteran K9 was handled by Deputy Jay Pearson, and was certified in drug detection, tracking, and article search, according to the Facebook post. He was a fulltime patrol dog. “K9 Deputy Eric served the citizens of Darke County for 7 years until his retirement in August of 2021. He spent his retirement in the home of his handler, Deputy Jay Pearson, and his family,” said the post. The Darke County Veterinary Service and the Tribute Funeral Home’s Pet Memorial Service were recognized in the Facebook post for their care and assistance. “Our hearts and prayers are with Deputy Pearson and his family at this difficult time. We will always be grateful for his service,” said the Darke County Sheriff’s Office.

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.