K9 DUKE – YORK, CANADA

DIED 2/14/19
HANDLER – Sgt.Blair Steer

ONE OF ONTARIO’S MOST HEROIC POLICE DOGS HAS DIED AND PEOPLE ARE DEVASTATED

In a heartbreaking announcement on February 14th, York Regional Police took to twitter to share that one of their most beloved and accomplished members of their Canine Unit, Duke, had passed. Duke had contributed 7 years of service to the police service before getting adopted by his long time patrol partner, Sgt.Blair Steer, in his retirement. During his distinguished career, Duke was responsible for 60 arrests and 13 bites or apprehensions. In one extreme case he took down a suspect approaching police with scissors. The 4-legged officer had an ability to thrive in any circumstance, including in the water and confined spaces (i.e under decks or in bushes), which made him quite the versatile sidekick.Duke was well-versed in all aspects of fighting crime. In addition to suspect apprehension, Duke was trained in handler protection, tracking, area searches and drug detection. He also assisted in several missing people and suicidal people searches. Duke and his partner Sgt.Blair Steer became well-known in their community as a result of hundreds of presentations at schools and senior homes. The pup even had his very own baseball-style card to hand-out during public visits.During his time on the Canine Unit, and the years that followed, it’s clear that Duke impacted the lives of many. The community has responded to the news with condolences and heartbreak.

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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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