K9 Shadow – St. Charles Parish, Louisiana

Died – 9/9/17
Handler – Lt. Clint Patterson

K-9 Shadow did her duty

The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office and many others were hurt by the sudden death of Shadow, who passed away Saturday. A medium-sized, young border collie mix, Shadow trained earlier this year for her new position. Lt. Clint Patterson, was Shadow’s partner and handler.He said Shadow was “immediately loved” upon joining the Sheriff’s Office. “Shadow was a godsend and was deeply loved by everyone who met her,” Patterson said.The cause of Shadow’s death is unknown. Her sudden loss took an emotional toll on Patterson, his wife and their two sons, he said. Shadow passed away in his arms, and he said her death was unexpected, sudden and, most of all, heartbreaking. She was buried at Patterson’s residence with a headstone made by the family. Her temperament was perfect for what we were searching for.”

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.