K9 Fina – Rochester, New Hampshire

Died 12/25/15
1st Handler – Officer Vinton Wallace
2nd Handler – Officer Keith MacKenzie

Retired K-9 Fina passes away Christmas morning

The Rochester Police Department announced Monday the passing of retired police K-9 Fina, who served the department for nine years. She passed away early on Christmas morning due to a sudden illness, according to a press release. Fina, a German Shepherd from Slovakia, was obtained with assistance from the Working Dog Foundation in April 2003 and served with the department until her retirement in January 2013. She was partnered with two handlers during her tenure, including former Officer Vinton Wallace and in her last years with Rochester Police K-9 Officer Keith MacKenzie. Fina received numerous awards through the Working Dog Foundation, including Narcotics Case of the Year in 2009, 2010, and 2011, along with Patrol Case of the Year in 2009. She also traveled to national police K-9 competitions where she finished sixth in the nation in 2006, seventh in 2009, and 12th in 2012. Locally, Fina was responsible for over 75 arrests as a result of drug searches or tracks, and located numerous missing persons. Since her retirement in 2013 Fina has been living with MacKenzie and his family.

Tags

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.
| Old Memorials | Site Map
Copyright © 1973 - 2024 Louise Krause Memorials to Fallen K-9's Hosted By PC-GEEK Site Maintained BY Jim Cortina