K9 Dante – Winnipeg, Canada

Died – 12/17/18
Handler – Sgt. David Bessason

Winnipeg Police Service dog Dante dies

One of Winnipeg’s canine finest has passed away. Police Service Dog Dante died Monday, about a year and a half after he retired from the Winnipeg Police Service. He and his handler, Sgt. David Bessason, retired on May 27, 2017. Dante was born Feb. 3, 2009 in the US, along with his litter-mate, Mya, who is also a police service dog. The Belgian Malinois puppies came to Winnipeg later that year and were raised and trained by Bessason, said police. Dante’s specialty was sniffing out bombs — he was an Explosives Detector Dog for the service until he retired. After his retirement from the WPS, Dante and his partner worked for True North Sports and Entertainment, where he and fellow explosives detector dog Daisy delighted fans and helped keep them safe. “Bell MTS Place patrons have welcomed them as True North canine ambassadors and the dogs love interacting with crowd,” Bessason said in 2017.

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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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