K9 Chase – Woodland, California

Died – 2/25/25
Handler – Officer David Shepard

Retired Woodland K9 Chase dies after nearly a decade of service

Woodland’s law enforcement community is mourning the loss of one of their own after the city police department announced the death of retired K9 officer Chase, who passed away on Tuesday surrounded by family (including his handler Officer David Shepard) and co-workers.The German Shepard officer handled by Shepard was a beloved member of the Woodland Police Department (WPD) from 2015 until his retirement in 2022, according to a Facebook post from the police department.“During his years of service, K9 Chase participated in numerous community events, SWAT operations, tracking, apprehension and narcotic detection,” the post reads. “K9 Chase also enjoyed his occasional Dutch Puppuccino’s while on duty.”Chase was also a regular competitor at numerous K9 trial competitions and was highly successful throughout his career. A few awards, even early in his career, include first place in a novice category and first place in a protection event. Chase also won the Chief’s trophy for “Best K9 Team” at the Western States Police Canine Association with Woodland Police K9 Niko.After Chase retired from the Woodland Police Department in 2022, he was able to live with his family and spend the rest of his years with the handler who raised him. The statement provided by WPD informed the public Chase wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.“K9 Chase spent his retirement days enjoying time with his family, swimming in the pool and just enjoying a great dog life,” the department’s post reads. “His family, friends, and co-workers will miss him dearly … Chase will always be in our hearts, and his legacy will never be forgotten.”Community members shared their memories with Chase in the comments of the posted statement from WPD. One commenter called Chase “a true hero for our community,” and another said the K9 “will fit in perfectly in heaven.”However, one person summed the community’s overall consensus best, their words posted in the heart of the comment section of WPD’s post about Chase.“They’re not dogs, they’re our partners for life.”

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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.
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