K9 Axel – Jennings, Indiana

Died – 1/4/25
Handler – Chief Deputy Cody Low

Jennings County Sheriff’s K-9 deputy dies

The Jennings County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) has announced the passing of K-9 Axel, who passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, January 4, after a medical emergency.K-9 Axel was an eight-year-old Dutch Shepherd and Belgian Malinois mix who served the department for seven years alongside his handler, Chief Deputy Cody Low.The police dog was responsible for countless arrests, criminal apprehensions, and narcotics being recovered. Axel was a Medal of Valor Award recipient in 2023 and was given a Life Saving Award for his role in an incident in which he directly saved the life of Chief Deputy Low.In addition to being a working dog, the Sheriff’s Office says, “Axel was a part of the JCSO family.”Later this week after the snow, a memorial location will be announced so the public can visit and pay their respects to K-9 Axel.

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.