K9 Zeus – Fort Myers, Florida

Died – 11/30/17
Handler – Officer William Schulte

Fort Myers police K-9 Zeus, diagnosed with terminal cancer, euthanized; served seven years

Zeus, an 8½-year-old German shepherd who served with the Fort Myers Police Department for seven years, was recently euthanized after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Zeus served alongside his partner, Officer William Schulte. An FMPD spokesman said Zeus conducted hundreds of building and vehicle searches, tracked down dozens of fleeing felons and put his his life on the line on more than one occasion. “There was a softer side to Zeus and that was his love for children,” said Capt. Jay Rodriguez. “Zeus was a favorite at community events and would sit still for hours while kids took their turn showing their appreciation.” Less than one week ago, Schulte realized there was something wrong with Zeus and rushed him to the vet. Testing determined that Zeus was suffering from an aggressive type of cancer. Rather than see his canine partner suffer, Schulte made the difficult decision to put Zeus to sleep.Members of the Fort Myers Police Department gather4ed around Zeus before the procedure was administered.

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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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