December 9, 2014
Handler: ?
Westchester County Police
110 Dr.Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
White Plains, NY 10601
Westchester bloodhound police dog dies unexpectedly
An active member of the Westchester County police force who worked for nothing more than a bit of kibble and a concessional
bone, has died unexpectedly. Seneca, a nine-year-old bloodhound who has been on duty since she was a pup, died Tuesday
evening. "She was a good dog," said Sgt. Vincent Ragaini. "We're very upset." The dog was working up until a couple
of days ago when her handler noticed that she appeared to be ill. Seneca was taken to a veterinarian for treatment
but died of an intestinal blockage. Seneca had a long and illustrious career. The bloodhound used her skills to assist
police in searches throughout the Lower Hudson Valley. In 2011, she was called in to help find a missing New City women.
The woman was eventually found. Seneca also assisted her fellow canines by taking part in a search for two missing
beagles lost in the 700-acre Saxon Woods Park in White Plains in 2008. The dogs were found.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 STEINER
November 28, 2014
Handler: PC Shelley Byrne
Gloucestershire Police Department
UK
Outpouring for police dog who died
Hundreds of messages of condolence have been paid to Gloucestershire police dog Steiner, who died on Friday. A message posted by the force's dog handling unit on Twitter yesterday simply said: "RIP Steiner, an amazing police dog who sadly passed away today. Thoughts with his handler. Always be remembered." In 2006, Steiner featured in the Citizen thanks to his love of water. Having ruptured a cruciate ligament, he was taken to Hartpury College for hydrotherapy as part of his recovery, then aged two-and-a-half. His handler at the time, PC Shelley Byrne, said then: “It was in the early hours of the morning and I got a call out to work.
As I put him in the van he just cried and went lame. “I took him straight to the vet and hydrotherapy was recommended.” Steiner underwent six weeks of treatment at the college. PC Shelley Byrne said she continued to take Steiner back for more sessions even after the treatment course had finished to keep him healthy. “He loves it, he’s quite happy,” she said at the time. “He jumps straight in the tank and he’s really excited when he does it. “He is with me 10 hours a day every day when I’m at work and he lives at home in a kennel with me, days off as well. “We are just crew together, me and him.”
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SARA
October 8, 2014
 
Handler:?
Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement
USA
K9 Sara, a 2 year old Belgian Malinois, was struck and killed as she and her handler conducted a criminal interdiction
search of a commercial vehicle on the shoulder of I-80, in western Iowa. Sara had served with the
Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement for 11 months and had been responsible for multiple narcotics and cash seizures.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SHEP
October 21, 2014
Handler: Officer Clint Houston
Great Falls Police Department
P.O. Box 5021
Great Falls, MT 59403
Police dog euthanized for repeated unprovoked attacks on handlers
A Great Falls police dog has been euthanized following repeated unprovoked attacks on its handlers, Police Chief Dave Bowen
said Tuesday. The K-9, Shep, bit officers on three occasions, police say. He was immediately removed from duty after the
first attack, which occurred in recent weeks after the dog had switched handlers, according to Bowen. "Something had
changed," Bowen said, noting the attack was out of character for the dog. "We're not sure what." Shep was placed in
the original handler's home after the initial attack, Bowen said.
However, the dog "continued to show aggressive behavior to this handler and the handler's family" and, Friday, bit
the original handler, Bowen said. The decision was then made to euthanize the animal. Neither incident occurred
during actual training, Bowen said, and both officers went to the emergency room for treatment. A third officer was
also bitten while restraining the dog following Friday's attack, Bowen said. All three officers are said to be recovering,
with one remaining on light duty. There is no immediate plan to replace the Shep, Bowen said.
The department currently has two other K-9 units, which are involved in routine patrol activity and also specifically
trained to assist with tracking and drug detection. Bowen estimated that the department has had around nine police
dogs over the years since its K-9 program began in the early 1990s, and Shep had been on-duty for approximately
three years. Alternatives to euthanasia like rehabilitation were either not available or not viable, the department says.
"We're all feeling kind of bad about this," Bowen said. "I just wanted the public to be reassured this wasn't
reflective of our program." submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SLYDER
October 6, 2014
(photo ... )
Handler: Officer Travis Kenyon
Fife Police Department
3737 Pacific Highway East
Fife, WA 98424
First Fife police dog dies
The first Fife police dog has died, the department said Monday. Slyder was assigned to Officer Travis Kenyon in 2006,
and worked with the department as a narcotics dog until he retired in 2012. He lived with the Kenyon family in his
retirement. Kenyon and Slyder were certified as a Master Narcotic Detection Team by the Washington State Canine
Association, and were part of Pierce County’s Metro K-9 group. The pair helped seize narcotics, vehicles
and currency when they worked together, the department said.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SYNDI
October 2014
Handler: Sgt. Dana Griffin
North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety
North Carolina
The North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety announced the passing of K9 Officer Syndi. Officer Syndi passed
away in the company of her handler, Sgt. Dana Griffin, at the Animal Hospital of North Myrtle Beach yesterday.
Officer Syndi was approximately 3 years old when she began her career with the department as a narcotics
detection and tracking dog. She was still in service at the end of watch having served some ten years as an active K9.
Officer Syndi is being laid to rest in Loris, at the home of John and Dana Griffin.
A memorial service for Syndi is to be determined. submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SIMMIE
August 27, 2014
 
Handler: Officer Floyd Arnold
East St. Louis Police Department
301 River Park Dr.
East St. Louis, IL 62201
website - http://www.cesl.us/subcategory.php?id=MjU=
Police dog dies due to heat stroke
An East St. Louis K9 Officer is dead after officials said he suffered a heat stroke. East St. Louis Police Chief, Michael Floore,
said K9 Officer Simmie and his handler had been doing training exercises in the park. Several minutes after the officer
got the dog home, Simmie was having trouble walking. He took the dog to the veterinarian, but Simmie went into cardiac
arrest and died. Doctors said it was heat related. The region has been enduring a late-summer heat wave with highs
in the upper 90s. Simmie was 3 years old and had been with the agency 14 months.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SHAMAN
July 21, 2014
Handler: Army Staff Sgt. Dennis Asher
Howell, Michigan
US Army
Headstone secured for K-9 Army Staff Sgt. Dennis Asher of Howell stands by military work dog Shaman.
K9 SHAMAN died July 21 and will be buried with full honors after battling a spinal cord disease.
A headstone has been secured for a K-9 military hero from Howell. But representatives of the Michigan War Dog Memorial hope
he will serve as an inspiration for others. A spokesman for the Oakland County-based military pet cemetery said this week
that more than $600 had been raised for the purchase of a headstone for Shaman, a military work dog who had served in Iraq. “Whatever we end up raising above that will be put into a fund to help out others,” said Phil Weitlauf, memorial director.
He and his fellow board members hope to augment that fund with donations from area businesses.
The cemetery assists with burials for military dogs, but their handlers must pay for headstones. “A lot of them have trouble
with that because they’re just getting back to civilian life,” Weitlauf said. That was the case for Shaman’s longtime handler,
Army Staff Sgt. Dennis Asher of Howell. Asher sent Shaman to his family in Howell four years ago after medical issues
forced the German shepherd’s retirement from active duty. Together, the pair had trained in tracking, obedience and
aggression-control techniques stateside before being transferred to the same high-security Iraqi prison where former dictator
Saddam Hussein had been held.
Shaman died July 21 after a long battle with spinal cord disease and will now be buried with full military honors in September.
“He will receive an honor guard. We’ll present Sgt. Asher with a flag that had been flown over the Capitol, and we’ll even
have a K-9 tribute,” Weitlauf said. That tribute features a team of eight military dogs that will march around the burial
site before howling a final farewell to their comrade. “I’m sure there won’t be many dry eyes,” Weitlauf said.
The memorial is at the site of a restored pet cemetery in the area of 11 Mile and Milford roads in Lyon Township.
“It was founded in 1936 but had largely been abandoned by the 1980s,” Weitlauf said. He and others began clearing
heavy brush from the site four years ago. With K-9 Corps members restricted from burial in military cemeteries,
Weitlauf and his fellow board members decided to convert the site into a burial ground for military dogs. They expanded
it this year to include police dog burials as well. Dogs from police units in Novi and Livingston County were recently
interred at the site.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Services set Saturday for K-9 military vet
9/5/14- Michigan
Staff Sgt. Dennis Asher of Howell stands next to his former K-9 partner, Shaman. The German shepherd died July 21 and
will be laid to rest Saturday at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in Lyon Township.
Members of the public — and their four-legged friends — are invited to Saturday's services for Shaman, a K-9 military veteran being laid to rest at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in Lyon Township. "The public is very much invited to attend, and they can bring their own dogs, too," cemetery Director Phil Weitlauf said. Shaman, who most recently lived with his handler's family in Howell, died July 21 after a long battle with a spinal cord disease. The dog will be buried with military honors during a 30-minute service set to begin at noon. The ceremony will be solemn, dignified and, judging from public response, well-attended. "We even heard from a retired police officer who offered to play the bagpipes — that's something we never had before," Weitlauf said. Shaman and his longtime handler, Army Staff Sgt. Dennis Asher of Howell, served together in Iraq. The German shepherd and his handler were stationed at the same high-security Iraqi prison where former dictator Saddam Hussein had been held. Medical issues forced Shaman's retirement from active duty four years ago. Asher sent Shaman to his family in Howell. Shaman will receive an honor guard and a "howling" tribute from fellow military dogs during Saturday's ceremonies. Asher will also be presented with an American flag in his honor. A headstone for Shaman was secured through a fundraising campaign supported by the military cemetery's directors. Though the cemetery assists with burial expenses for military and police dogs, handlers must pay for headstones. Memorial directors are establishing a fund to help veterans finance headstones for their K-9 Corps companions. The War Dog Memorial is on the grounds of a restored pet cemetery in the area of 11 Mile and Milford roads.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
________________________________________________________
In Loving Memory of
K9 STINGER
August 5, 2014
Handler: Sergeant Sam Blaski
Kingston Police Department
500 Wyoming Ave
Kingston, PA 18704
Police K9 Dies
The Kingston Police Department said a police dog has died. Officers said Stinger, an eight-year-old Doberman,
spent six years on the force, but grew sickly. His handler, Kingston Police Sergeant Sam Blaski,
learned the dog had two inoperable tumors. Kingston Police announced that the dog had died Tuesday.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SANTO
August 5, 2014
Handler: Sgt. Hargitt
Henderson Police Department
1990 Barret Ct.
Henderson, KY 42420
K9 Santo, Remembered
The Henderson Police Department would like to announce the passing of retired K9 Santo. Santo passed away this afternoon.
Santo was 12 years old and spent 9 years on patrol with Sgt. Hargitt until Santo's retirement in April 2013.
Santo remained at home with his family, the Hargitt's, after retirement.
He will be greatly missed by the Hargitt's and his HPD family.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SIREN
date?
Handler: Det. Jeff Majewski
Westport Police Dept. MA
Siren, a 5-year-old German Shepherd, was just one year into his training when he died. “He could have saved someone’s life,
that’s what’s very difficult right now,” said Westport Police Det. Jeff Majewski. “That dog had a future where he could
have helped somebody, and someone took that away.” Majewski was training Siren with his girlfriend, when suddenly the
healthy dog couldn’t walk." That MRI showed he was hemorrhaging in his back, and it was pressing on his spinal cord,”
Majewski explained. “My girlfriend and I looked in his eyes one last time and said goodbye.”
The necropsy results stunned him – revealing that the dog was poisoned. Majewski is certain someone – possibly a
criminal seeking revenge – fed Siren rat poison on purpose, considering he’s a detective.
“It was a cowardly act, and I do feel the dog was targeted as a result of something I did at work,” he said.
Majewski wrote an editorial in a local newspaper in order to raise awareness, and numerous people have sent him
letters of support.
Anyone who’d like to donate to the
“Justice for Siren Fund”
should contact ----the Westport Federal Credit Union
Westport, MA
(508) 679-0197
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SNOOP
July 14, 2014
Handler: Maj. Sophie Teague (love this photo!!)
Tampa Police Department
411 North Franklin Street
Tampa, FL 33602
Retired Tampa police search-and-rescue bloodhound dies
Tampa police Maj. Sophie Teague with Snoop in 2013. Veterinarians think he was bitten by a poisonous insect.
For retired Tampa police Maj. Sophie Teague, training the department's bloodhound, Snoop, to help people was one of the
most rewarding parts of her job. "They're like your partner," she said. "You're with them every day. They go to work with you,
they come home with you." Snoop died Monday at the Temple Terrace Animal Hospital at the age of 8 ½. His leg was swollen, and veterinarians
said he likely suffered a poisonous insect bite, Teague said. She and Snoop both retired last year. "I was blessed to have him
this long," she said. "I've just been blown away by all the people that were touched by him."
Snoop served as a search-and-rescue dog for Tampa police. He was trained to find lost and missing children. He often accompanied Teague when she visited schools to talk to children about staying safe. "They would be all over him, hugging him and loving all over him, but he didn't care," she said. "He just let the kids love all over him." Snoop was a great representative for the department
and helped her get the message out to kids to be aware of their surroundings, Teague said." Thank the good lord we never had any real missing children cases during his service," she said.
"His greatest benefit to the department was to do all these educational programs and not wait for the abductions to happen. " Snoop enjoyed retirement on Teague's small farm. He loved getting in the swimming pool, she said. "He just loved being at home. He was a pretty laid-back dog anyway, but if he got upset about something he would wake the whole neighborhood up,"
she said, pausing. "It's been a quiet farm today." submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SITTA
May 20, 2014
Handler: Officer Brandon Rousseau
Marshall Police Department
2101 E. End Blvd North
Marshall, TX 75670
PD remembers K-9 officer at memorial service
Marshall Police Department officers will say goodbye to their beloved K-9 partner Sitta on Tuesday morning when she will
be laid to rest. Sitta, who served with the department for seven years, passed away on May 20 due to age
related health problems. Services for Sitta are set for 8:40 a.m. on Tuesday at the Marshall Police K-9 Memorial
site located at the end of Memorial Drive at Airport Park. The funeral procession will depart the MPD at 8:30 a.m.
Officer Brandon Rousseau and Sitta were partners and worked and trained together as a team. Both were
certified and received training from Norm Garner NCIA-K9 in Shreveport.
Sitta was a Dutch Shepherd from Holland and began training at an early age. The K-9 officer was trained in
gun powder, explosives and bombs and was also dually trained as patrol apprehension in tracking meaning Sitta
could assist in tracking anything from a fugitive to a missing person. Captain of the Patrol Division, John Best,
encouraged the public to attend to honor Sitta and the other K-9 officers who served MPD over the years.
“Sitta will join other faithful K-9 officers who valiantly served the Marshall Police Department over the past years,”
he said in a press release. “Please make an effort to attend and honor an officer who gave so much to our city
for just a little praise from his handler.”
M O R E >>>>>>>>
Underneath a ruby red awning, amidst the rain, an intimate crowd of Marshall Police Department officers came
together to pay their respects to the late K-9 officer Sitta early Tuesday morning. Sitta, who served with
MPD for seven years, passed away last week at the age of 12. The K-9, born in the Netherlands, became a
member of MPD in March 2007. Officer Brandon Rousseau, along with his wife, children and fellow officers
listened intently as Captain of the Patrol Division, John Best, read a poem and spoke about Sitta. “There is
a special bond between the handler and a K-9. She was a partner, a friend and a confidant,” he said.
“Often times you spend more time with them than anyone else.”
Best spoke encouraging words to Rousseau after revealing that when Sitta retired, she became a family pet
for the Rousseau family. “Even though she’s not in the car with you, she still watches over you,” he said. “Taps” played and a three-volley salute was given as well. Best said K-9s are considered police officers and
are very much a part of the department and that this was a loss that everyone would feel. “It’s always sad
when an officer loses a K-9 partner. I know what he’s going through; I worked with K-9s for nine years,”
he said. “This is a loss for the whole department." Speaking through tears, Rousseau had nothing, but good things to say about his former partner. “You couldn’t ask for a better dog,”
he said. “She was one of the sweetest dogs."
submitted
by
Jim
Cortina,
Dir.
CPWDA
In
Loving
Memory
of
K9
SULLY
May
9,
2014
Handler:
Officer
Adam
Walker
Graham
Police
Department
216
S
Maple
St
Graham,
NC
27253
Graham
police
mourn
mysterious
death of
Sully
Everywhere
Graham
police
officer
Adam
Walker
drove in
his
patrol
car,
there
was a
head
resting
on his
shoulder,
a
constant
reminder
of the
presence
of his
canine
friend
in the
back
seat. It
was
their
routine:
Sully,
his red
Labrador
partner,
would go
into his
kennel,
which
occupied
the
entire
back
seat
area of
Walker’s
police
car, and
Walker
would
leave
the
kennel
gate
open
for
Sully to
stick
his head
out.
After
around
four
years
with
Sully,
Walker
found
him dead
last
Friday.
“I went
to get
him out
of his
kennel
and just
found
him
deceased,”
Walker
said.
"The
police
department
is
waiting
on
results
from an
autopsy
to
determine
Sully’s
cause of
death,
which
remains
a
mystery,"
Walker
said.
The two
were
paired
up in
2011,
when
Sully
was 9
months
old.
Sully
was
Walker’s
first
K-9, and
the two
went
to
training
school
together,
where
Walker
trained
him in
tracking
and
detecting
narcotics.
“When I
went and
picked
him up,
I knew
everything
was
going to
be just
fine
when he
put his
head on
my
shoulder,”
Walker
said.
“Everything
clicked,
and it
was
meant to
be. It
was a
partnership
that
won’t
ever be
duplicated.”
Walker’s
youngest
son and
Sully
were a
month
apart
in
age, and
Walker
said the
two had
grown
close.
In
addition
to
traveling
with
Sully
everywhere
for
work,
Walker
said, he
would
take the
dog out
places
with his
family.
“Anywhere
I went,
Sully
went,”
he said.
Walker
joked
that
though
Sully’s
paperwork
indicates
the dog
is a
yellow
Lab,
he
has
always
been a
red one.
Walker
wasn’t
sure why
the
department
decided
to buy a
Labrador
over
other
K-9
breeds,
but said
“he had
a drive
like
I’ve
never
seen in
a dog.”
“He
could
track
like
nobody’s
business.”
Walker
said.
“We
found
several
missing
persons.”
The
department
also
frequently
used
Sully at
school
demonstrations
and
public
relations
events,
said Lt.
Pete
Acosta.
Walker
said
they
never
had to
worry
about
the
dog’s
behavior
around
young
children.
The
Graham
Police
Department
is
holding
a
memorial
for
Sully at
2 p.m.
Tuesday
in the
chapel
of
McClure
Funeral
Service
in
Graham.
Walker
said
Sully
had been
cremated
by
Alamance
Pet
Cremations.
McClure
is
allowing
the
department
to use
its
chapel
at no
cost,
and is
also
donating
an urn
for
Sully’s
remains
and a
portrait
to be
hung in
the
police
department,
said Ken Stainback,
a
director
and
owner at
the
funeral
home. Stainback
said
they
expect
50 to 70
people
at the
funeral,
including
K-9
handlers
and
their
dogs
from
around a
50-mile
radius.
He
said the
service
will
start
with the
K-9s
forming
an honor
line as
Walker
enters
with
Sully’s
remains,
and the
dogs
will
then be
taken
back to
their
respective
patrol
cars —
which
will be
left
running,
he
added.
Acosta
said the
department’s
chaplain
would
speak at
the
service.
“It’ll
be a
funeral,”
Acosta
said.
“It’s
close to
something
we would
do for
any of
our
officers
that
pass
away.
Even
though
he’s a
K-9,
he’s
considered
a
partner
to
Officer
Walker,
so we’re
going to
treat
him as
such.”
Walker
said he
has
found
his
niche in
K-9
handling
and
hopes
eventually
to be
paired
with
another
dog,
though
it will
be hard
to have
another
take the
place of
Sully.
“There’s
definitely
a void,”
Walker
said.
“He’s
irreplaceable,
that’s
for
sure. He
was the
best dog
I’ve
ever
had, and
the only
dog I’ve
had as
far as
police
dogs
go.”
submitted
by Jim
Cortina,
Dir.
CPWDA
In
Loving Memory of
K9 SAM (MWD)
March 16, 2014
Handler: U.S.
Army Sergeant
Scott McDermond
Military
service honors
four-legged
fallen soldier,
and all-round "good boy," Sam -
Minnesota
A small crowd had
gathered outside the
VFW Post 2720 in
Deer River just
after noon Thursday.
Moments before, they
had been inside the
Vet's Club, gathered
around a unique
memorial for a
fallen soldier. Like
every Battlefield
Cross, at its
center
was an inverted
rifle. "It
represents a fallen
soldier," said U.S.
Army Sergeant Scott McDermond, who
constructed
the
cross. "The harness
is actually his very
harness that he wore
in Iraq. That was
his collar; the
inverted food bowl,
and his leash, and
then his urn," he
listed, pointing to
the objects.
The fallen soldier's
name is Sam. Like
U.S. Army Sergeant
Scott McDermond, Sam
was a combat
veteran, and Sgt.
McDermond's best
friend. But Sgt.
McDermond says it
was tougher for
people not to get
along with the 9
1/2–year–old
German
Shepherd Collie. "He
loved just about
everybody he met;
except ceiling
fans," laughed McDermond, "he
didn't
like ceiling
fans." "He was my
boy," reminisced a
smiling Marcia McDermond, Scott's
mother, who often
watched Sam
when
Scott was away. "We
couldn't get him to
come in the house.
You'd bring him in
and he would pout.
The dog could pout!"
Sgt. McDermond's
military path led
him to Sam after a
number of
deployments
throughout Iraq
ended in 2006 when
he was
injured by a
suicide car bomber
in Ramadi."From
there I healed up; I
made the decision
that I want to go
back, and I
want to
prevent it from
happening to someone
else," said McDermond. A request
to enter specialized
search dog school
took Sgt. McDermond
to Lackland Air
Force Base in '07.
Afterward, he joined
the 97th Military
Police Batallion K9
section, and was
deployed once again
to Iraq.
This time the
explosive–sniffing
Sam was by his side,
and their training
soon paid off when
one day Sam
responded to
a
threat outside their
stationed camp's
training grounds.
"By his response
that means there's
something there, and
outside
the training
area means the
instructors didn't
put it there," said McDermond, "it was a
half a pound of
Iraqi C4, but
there
was no blasting
cap." Sam proved
that day he could do
his job, but soon
after Sgt. McDermond
said Sam's friendly
misdemeanor, and
intelligence,
effectively halted
his career as a
bomb-sniffing dog.
In January of
2010, he was
reevaluated for
adoption, and Sgt.
McDermond brought a
very happy Sam home
for an early
retirement. A few
months ago, Sgt. McDermond left Sam
with his mother
Marcia while he went
through advanced
courses.
On March
16th, he got the
call that Sam had
been killed by a car
on Highway 46. "I
blamed myself for
days," said
an
emotional Marcia McDermond, "and he's
telling me over the
phone, 'Mom, it's
not your fault.'"
While Sam's death
came too soon, Sgt. McDermond was able
to honor his
friend's memory
Thursday with an
outdoor service led
by the
American
Legion VFW Honor
Guard, and National
Honor Guard,
complete with the
folding of a flag,
taps, and a gun
salute. ...funeral
services fit for a
fallen hero, and in
this case, one good
boy. Sergeant McDermond says it's
not uncommon
for
animals in military
service to be
honored, but it is
rare to see such
services outside
of a military base.
Submitted
by Jim Cortina, Dir.
CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 STORM
May 9, 2014
Handler: Detective
Scott Krause
Fond du Lac Police
Department
126 N Main St
Fond du Lac, WI
Police drug dog dies
The Lake Winnebago Area MEG Unit
lost a trusted member of its
team on Friday, May 9. K-9 Storm
was put to sleep
after
suffering a severe seizure due to an ongoing illness, according to a memo
from Fond du Lac Police
Department Chief.
Bill Lamb. Storm was with the Lake Winnebago Area MEG Unit since December
2006, and the funds used to
purchase,
train and equip him were provided by a private donor from Oshkosh. Storm
was assigned to Detective Scott
Krause
from the Fond du Lac Police Department. Storm was a sole purpose drug
detection canine, born in 2003
and acquired
from and certified through Steinig Tal Kennels of Campbellsport.
“It is difficult to quantify
the contribution Storm made to
this unit — tens of thousands of
dollars, hundreds of pounds
of marijuana, multiple kilograms of cocaine, countless rocks of crack
cocaine, and significant
quantities of heroin
and meth, all have been located and seized as a result of Storm’s
efforts,” Lamb wrote. He said
Storm was an
excellent drug detection canine and a great partner. “He will be missed by
the members of the Lake
Winnebago
Area MEG Unit and City of Fond
du Lac Police Department,” Lamb
wrote.
submitted by Jim Cortina,
Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K9 SABEK
2014
Handler: Officer Chris Sherwin
Naperville Police Department
1350 Aurora Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540
Former Naperville K-9 officer
patrolling ‘without my partner’
Naperville police on Tuesday
honored one of their own for his
service with a police dog named
Sabek, who was involved
in the
largest methamphetamine bust in DuPage County. Officer Chris
Sherwin is adjusting to his
patrol duties without
his
partner for the first time in
nearly a decade after the German
shepherd retired from the force
last month and died
a few weeks
later. “It’s a big change,”
Sherwin said about the loss of Sabek, his K-9 partner. “You
have somebody
with you for nine
years every day and then all of
the sudden he’s not there. It’s
a big change.”
Sabek retired from service on
Valentine’s Day after searching
one last vehicle for drugs and
helping Sherwin find some
marijuana. Sherwin said the dog
was put to rest a couple weeks
later, just shy of his 11th
birthday. “I was with him the
better part of my career,” said
Sherwin, 45, of Plainfield, who
has spent all of his 13 years as
a police officer in Naperville.
“I think a lot of the patrol
guys miss him, too, because he
was a great asset.” Cmdr. Jason Arres said Sabek’s death
brings
the Naperville K-9 unit down to
two dogs and two handlers.
Officer Grif Lippencott has been
chosen as the
department’s next
handler and will begin training
in April.
When the department’s K-9 unit
is at full force, two of
Naperville’s police dogs work
with the patrol division and the
third works in investigations,
specializing in narcotics
searches. All the dogs are
trained to sniff out drugs,
search areas
for certain items
and follow the scent of missing
or wanted people. They also help
provide crowd control, but Arres
said
the dogs are not trained to
search for explosives.
Naperville relies on dogs from
county sheriff’s departments
when that
service is
needed. Sherwin said Sabek had a
good nose for illegal
substances, which he put to work
in October 2012 when
Sherwin
stopped a driver near Route 59
and Meridian Road.
“He was instrumental in the
largest methamphetamine bust in
DuPage County,” Sherwin said.
“Basically we worked a case and
he sniffed out about 19 pounds
of methamphetamine.” The dog’s
ability to direct officers to
search the bed of the truck
resulted in the discovery of 19
one-pound bundles of
methamphetamine hidden under
roofing shingles. DuPage County
prosecutors trying the case
thanked Naperville police for
their “outstanding work” to find
the drug, which had a street
value of about $1 million.
"Chris
and Sabek were an excellent,
excellent partnership for the
police department and their
work
will be missed,” Arres said.
“They did a phenomenal job in
nine years together.” K-9
handlers like Sherwin train for
more than a month with their
dogs
to help the animals learn
how to track people, search
buildings, seek items and sniff
out illegal drugs. The training
period
also helps the animal and
handler bond, which Sherwin said
is important for being an
effective investigative team.
“Just
knowing your dog: the way
your dog stands, the way he
looks, the way he looks at you,”
Sherwin said. Sometimes, it was
almost as if Sabek was surprised
Sherwin couldn’t smell the
people or drugs the pair was
seeking, the officer said.
“No
matter what he did, he would
look at me almost like ‘Really?
He’s right here,’ or ‘The dope’s
right here,’” Sherwin said.
“And
then he would indicate. When he
would indicate on narcotics, he
would scratch at the source of
the odor.” Sherwin
said he
learned Sabek’s tendencies well
over nine years, so when the
German shepherd started dragging
his legs, losing feeling
in his
toes and dripping some urine
about four months ago, Sherwin
knew the dog’s health was
faltering. Sabek’s nerves were
deteriorating, which led to his
retirement last month and his
death a couple weeks later.
“For that type of disease,
there’s no cure,” Sherwin said.
The death of Sabek ends
Sherwin’s time as a K-9 officer,
but
he is still working the
midnight shift on patrol as a
solo officer. The lifelong dog
lover said he was glad for the
chance to
work with a partner
like Sabek. “It was something I
wanted to do ever since I
started,” Sherwin said. “Now I’m
on patrol,
doing the same thing
I’ve done — just without my
partner.” submitted
by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In
Loving Memory of
K9 STAR
12/22/02 - 02/05/14
Handler: Vivian Jones
<okieoldlady@yahoo.com>
This
is my Star...my first nationally certified cadaver dog.
Born 12-22-2002 and walked across the bridge 02-05-2014
with assistance from me and her friend, the vet. She had hip dysplasia and
congestive heart failure.
But she woke up one day completely blind from a sudden retina detachment.
Her empty eyes held such pleading
that she had enough. She gave me her all with each training session,
search, and body found,
how could I do no less now that she needed me?
Your poems have helped with the grieving that is just
beginning.
In
Loving Memory of
K9 STORM
January 27, 2014
Handler: Officer Lincoln Sisson
Providence Police Department
325
Washington St.
Providence, RI 02903
'He was such a good boy': Providence police announce death of
bomb dog
After a career
protecting lives by sniffing for danger, the good-natured Labrador
retriever who served 11 years as the
Providence police bomb
detection K-9 has ended his watch. The Providence Police Department
announced the death of
K-9 Storm. He was 12 1/2. "Storm was not only
my partner, but my best friend. We were together 24 hours a day. The
bond that we developed was amazing," Officer Lincoln Sisson wrote in
an essay on Tuesday. "He was such a good boy and
a big part of my
family." Storm was trained at the Titusville, Fla., police
department, outside the Kennedy Space Center,
and joined the
Providence Police Department in September 2002.
Storm was just 14 months
old, and Sisson called him his "partner for life." Storm was one of
few bomb dogs in Rhode Island,
and his expertise was requested all
over the state, as well as in service for high-profile events, such
as the Democratic
National Convention in Boston, presidential
visits, and launches and a landing of the space shuttle at Kennedy
Space Center.
He worked with the Rhode Island State Bomb Squad,
Amtrak police and multiple law enforcement agencies. Storm retired
last May, but Sisson said the dog still eagerly waited at home at
the top of the stairs for him and new bomb K-9 Kyra to
return from
work.
But by
the end of the year, Storm's health was failing, Sisson said. "His
quality of life became unfair to him," Sisson wrote.
"It got to the
point where as much as I wanted him to stay, I could see in his eyes
that he didn't want to be here anymore.
So with great sadness, I had
to make that dreaded and God-awful decision." Sisson spoke with
Storm's veterinarian. Then,
on the morning of Jan. 27, Sisson placed
Storm's police harness on him for the last time. It was time to say
goodbye.
"I'm not afraid to say that I had a difficult time putting
it on him, because it was hard to see with the tears in my
eyes,"
Sisson wrote. He took Storm for their last ride together by the
Providence Public Safety Complex. "He will be
greatly missed, not
only by me and my family," Sisson said, "but all the lives he
touched over the 12 years he served
as a Providence police K-9
officer."
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
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Memorials
to Fallen K-9s
