K9 Dutch – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Died – 9/5/15
Officer – Officer Tom Fahey

Minneapolis Police K-9 Dies During Training after swallowing ball

A Minneapolis police dog died over the weekend during a training session. K-9 Dutch, who was assigned to Officer Tom Fahey, was participating in the exercise on Sept. 5 when he swallowed a lacrosse ball and it became lodged in his throat.After several attempts by Fahey and the University of Minnesota Veterinarian Staff, the ball was dislodged from the 3 1/2 year old Dutch Shepherd’s throat. They performed CPR on Dutch for a long period of time but unsuccessful in reviving him. “K-9 Dutch was involved in numerous locates and apprehensions of people that were fugitives, fleeing from burglaries and such,” Minneapolis K-9 Division Supervisor Sgt. Andy Stender said in a video tribute to the dog. “In the about 2 1/2 years he was on the street, he more than proved himself worthy as an awesome addition to the Minneapolis Police K-9 Unit.” Dutch also was certified as an Explosives Detection K-9 and assisted with numerous explosive sweeps for dignitary and special events in the area. Fahey, like all K-9 handlers, had a strong bond with Dutch that Stender said is built through trust and the countless hours spent together. “Most K-9 officers, we spend more time with our dogs when we’re working than we actually probably do with our families when we’re off,” he said “They’re with us 10 hours a day, and even when we’re off and not working we’re responsible for the care and maintenance of them. “They are truly a valuable member of the department, but along a real loyal and valuable member of our personal families.”

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.