Died – 1\/26\/21
\nHandler – Cpl. Jerry Britting<\/p>\n
Hinesville Police Department puts down K9 Zorza<\/p>\n
Local law enforcement members from Liberty County and Hinesville met Tuesday for a memorial service honoring a beloved K9. Zorza, who served the Hinesville Police Department for many years, was put down on Jan. 26 after suffering hip dysplasia and related infections. It was a decision his longtime handler retired Cpl. Jerry Britting wrestled with. \u201cI wasn\u2019t ready to lose my best friend,\u201d Britting said with tears in his eyes. The pair spent over 12 years together, often working narcotics cases and tracking suspects in Liberty, Long and Ware counties. Britting said the two became inseparable, but it took time to build trust. One day early on in Zorza\u2019s career, they were called to a burglary in progress. Britting remembered what they taught him in training, to \u201ctrust your dog,\u201d but he steered Zorza away from two teens near a mobile home. \u201cIn my mind, I\u2019m thinking, \u2018well they probably live there,\u2019 and pulled him off,\u201d Britting said. After further surveying the area, Zorza yanked his handler over to another trailer. \u201cHe found 99% of the stolen items hidden up underneath,\u201d Britting said. \u201cCome to find out that the two teenagers were two of the five suspects that were later identified and arrested for burglary,\u201d the corporal said, adding that he immediately apologized to Zorza. The K9 retired in January 2017 due to medical issues. Britting said Zorza suffered injuries on duty after being attacked by other dogs during a call. \u201cOur job is really risky and, of course, you don\u2019t know if there\u2019s other dogs in the area or suspects,\u201d he said. Not long after, Britting followed in Zorza\u2019s footsteps. \u201cI tried it for a year, and I just couldn\u2019t be the police without my partner,\u201d he said. The rain didn\u2019t stop local law enforcement members from gathering in Zorza\u2019s honor. Britting was presented with the K9\u2019s remains and a folded flag.\u201cI\u2019m glad Zorza was recognized by multiple agencies for the work he did,\u201d the corporal said. \u201cAll I did was hold the leash \u2014 he did everything.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 1\/26\/21 Handler – Cpl. Jerry Britting Hinesville Police Department puts down K9 Zorza Local law enforcement members from Liberty County and Hinesville met Tuesday for a memorial service honoring a beloved K9. Zorza, who served the Hinesville Police Department for many years, was put down on Jan. 26 after suffering hip dysplasia and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10125,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-10123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-ga"],"yoast_head":"\n