K9 Nash – Mountain View, California

Handler – Officer Pablo Donato

Top K9 cop passes away

Mountain View Police Department officers are mourning the loss of a former colleague who died. Retired K9 cop Nash von der Zigeunerkuhle succumbed to old age just a few months short of his 11th birthday, police spokeswoman Katie Nelson reported. “Nash was a workhorse,” she said. “I mean, he knew when to have fun, but he definitely knew when it was time to get down to business.” Known as Nash to his friends, the sable-colored German shepherd was born in Germany Oct. 30, 2008. He joined the police department Nov. 30, 2010, and became officer (now detective) Pablo Donato’s partner following a compatibility test. Nash was trained for building searches, a task that involves locating a person or object; he set a tracking speed record (the time between when a command is given and when the intended person or object is found) at the Georgia K9 National Training Center in Canton, Ga. Like many police canines born overseas, Nash was bilingual – understanding commands in German first and later in English after immigrating to the United States. Nelson said there are typically four MVPD K9s at any one time, and like his classically named colleagues – Odin and Thor, both German shepherds, and Zeus, a black Labrador – Nash spent both day and night at the side of his human partner. “Yes, they come into work and they work their 10- or 12-hour shifts, but they get to go home, they hang out with families, they go on walks. They live very much what you would perceive a normal dog life,” Nelson said. Nash retired in 2015 at the ripe old age of 7 due to complications from a back injury he suffered while on patrol and was replaced by Ares, another German shepherd, assigned to Officer Brandon Erickson in 2018. In his golden years, Nash continued to live with Donato and his family. “He was just a good dog, and he was very, very good at what he did,” Nelson said. “I know Officer Donato and his family – they miss him a lot.”

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.