K9 Oakley – Duluth, Minnesota

Officer Marc Johnson

‘He served with love, loyalty, passion’: Retired K-9 dies, leaves huge (paw)print on community

A retired Duluth Police K-9 has died, leaving a huge (paw)print on the community’s heart. K-9 Oakley served the Duluth Police Department from 2012-2019. He was known as a dual-purpose dog, trained in both narcotics detection and human apprehension. He wore many hats and was part of numerous successful missions with the police force. K-9 Oakley was almost 11 years old. He was great with kids and enjoyed getting spoiled. K-9 Oakley’s longtime partner, and dog dad Marc Johnson, said: “One of the most powerful lessons Oakley taught me was how to serve others. For the better part of a decade, Oakley served the Duluth community with a fire that burned deep in his belly. As I began preparing for work each night, he’d anxiously wait for me by the door- refusing to be left behind and eager for another opportunity to protect his partners and safeguard his city. He served his community with love, loyalty, and a passion that could not be matched. He brought joy to thousands while simultaneously making Duluth a safer city in which to live. There was no greater joy for Oakley than to go to work with me and do what he loved doing most: protecting good and deterring evil. In return, he never asked for anything more than the occasional head scratch and a fresh tennis ball. He was the epitome of selflessness. Oakley would also quickly teach me how to be a proper leader. He showed me that ranks and titles are meaningless unless you use them to bolster those around you. He could have cared less that I was his “handler”. The title meant nothing to the dog and afforded me no loyalty through title alone. It wasn’t until he learned that I would care for him, support him, and trust him that he began working *for* me. Our bond was forged in a mutual respect for one another and belief in each other. He followed me into the darkest of nights with unknown threats looming knowing that no matter what happened, I would have his back. In turn, he readily offered me his unconditional and vigilant protection. Finally, he taught me that there was so much more to life than a forty hour work week. After retiring, Oakley initially struggled to find his place in a life without tracks, trainings and trials. Work was all that he had known to that point. His heart wanted to keep serving, but his body began showing a subtle reluctance. Not long into retirement, Oakley started seeing the many finer points in a life of leisure. He discovered the simple joy of an afternoon nap underneath a sun-filled window. He found that a morning hike through the woods was quite possibly more enjoyable than a midnight track of a fleeing felon. He enjoyed unfettered access to toys and treats rather than such luxuries being reserved only for a job well done. He not only began accepting his new retired life, he soon embraced it. A new dog emerged. He was calmer. He was happier. He lived a life that reminded me to slow down, to be present, and to never take the understated joys in life for granted. There’s a long-standing consensus among the K9 world that the dog is “the smart end of the leash”. I’ve never been more certain of that than I am now. For almost 11 years, I assumed I was the trainer and the teacher. Now that he is gone, I see just how mistaken I was to believe that. Perhaps it was always Oakley’s intention for this to be one last lesson he’d teach me. A final opportunity to show me who was truly running the show. Rest now, my friend. We are forever grateful for the light you provided in an often dark world.”

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.