K9 Tessa – Crisp County, Georgia


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Died – 10/26/20
Handler – Sgt. Kenny Purvis

Crisp Co. police dog crosses rainbow bridge

The Crisp County Sheriff’s Office announced on Facebook Tuesday that the department is mourning the loss of retired K9 “Tessa.” On Monday, Tessa passed away after a short bout with health issues. She was a 13-year-old Belgian Malinois, and she served the community for 10 years. The sheriff’s office said after her exceptional career, Tessa went home and enjoyed life with her handler Sgt. Kenny Purvis and his family. Tessa started working for Crisp County when she was 3-years-old in 2010 and spent her career as Purvis’ partner. She and Purvis completed their advanced training at South GA K9 in Dooly County. She was nationally certified in narcotic detection and tracking with the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association (NNDDA). The sheriff’s office said Tessa’s accomplishments include a second place award in narcotics detection and a second place award in tracking at the South GA K9/NNDDA Conference in 2015. She was a vital member of the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office K9 Tactical Tracking Team as she worked to locate offenders of various crimes, as well as missing children and endangered missing adults. Tessa located illegal drugs, apprehended criminals and participated in numerous community programs, the sheriff’s office said. In her off time, she enjoyed belly scratches, swimming, and dock-diving. “She had an incredible bond with her partner and family,” the sheriff’s office said.

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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.
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