K9 Kody – Bloomfield Township, Michigan

Died 2/11/21
Handler – Officer Angela Carlson

Police department mourns loss of K-9 Kody

A Bloomfield Township police dog who retired last year as he continued treatment for cancer has died. K-9 Kody, a German Shepherd, died Feb. 11, just a few weeks before his ninth birthday. A social media post by the Bloomfield Township Police Department states: “The Bloomfield Township Police Department is mourning the loss of K9 Kody (retired). K9 Kody lived his life protecting and serving our community, even while receiving treatment for cancer. Our thoughts are with Kody’s handler, Officer Carlson. Kody was not only her partner… he was her family. We’ll take the watch from here good boy!”Kody’s handler, police officer Angela Carlson, told The Oakland Press last year that Kody was “the best partner I could have.” “If I had to say something about Kody, I would thank him for always being by my side and being the best partner I could have. He’s truly a special dog,” she said. In 2019, Kody was diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that’s fairly common in dogs. He went into remission after six months of chemotherapy, but the cancer returned last year and the decision was made to retire Kody in June while he continued treatment. As Kody headed into retirement, Carlson had said he was “still living an otherwise healthy life” and was “a happy dog.”

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.