K9 Arna – Atlanta, Georgia

Died 9/5/17
Handler – Senior Officer RJ Spearl
Officer Jason Walker

Atlanta K9 officer to be laid to rest

Atlanta Police are preparing to lay one of their own to rest.

K9 Arna served the City of Atlanta from 2006 until 2015. She and her partner Senior Officer RJ Spearl conducted more than 3,000 searches and had nearly 2,000 finds during their time together, according to the department. The pair won, “1st place “Top Dog” award 5 times at the United States Police Canine Association, Region 22, Narcotics Drug Detector Trials,” according to a press release. Officer Spearl described the moment he knew she was special. They were assisting with a Federal Task Force search for drugs at a home. “As we approached the TV, I noticed a change in Arna’s body language and her tail began to wag which only happened when she detected narcotics odor while in search mode. We detailed the TV with no alerts. ” Arna persisted and stayed in that spot, “I looked over to the corner of the room and noticed the carpet was frayed. I told the investigator that was with me to pull the carpet back to the area where Arna was alerting.”They found a hole in the floor that contained a box with drugs and weapons. Spearl wrote, “From that moment on I knew Arna was a special dog and she proved it to me time and time again over the years we spent together. As time went by our bond and her loyalty to me continued to grow stronger.” K9 Arna’s final resting place will be at the Deceased Pet Care’s Memorial Pet Gardens in Gwinnett County with a full Honor Guard service. Her services will be held the afternoon of Tuesday November 28. Deceased Pet Care Funeral Homes is Georgia’s first and only full-service pet funeral home offering pet burial and cremation services.

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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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