K9 Buster – Woodbury, Minnesota

Died 4/24/20
Handler – Officer James Stoffel

Woodbury police canine dies after illness

A K-9 officer-in-training has died after an illness, Woodbury Public Safety said Friday afternoon. Police “canine cadet” Buster suffered from an acute case of gastric dilatation and volvulus, also called bloat, and died Friday, according to a statement from Woodbury Police Sgt. John Altman. Buster was rushed to the University of Minnesota and “received wonderful care,” Altman said.Born in June 2018, Buster and his littermate, Cirrus, were purchased by the Woodbury Police K9 Fund at 10 weeks old. He was named for the Dairy Queen “Buster Bar” after a large donation from the chain’s Woodbury location, the release said. He had begun formal schooling this year with his handler, Officer James Stoffel. Many members of the Woodbury police department had a hand in raising and training Buster, as well as his brother, until they were old enough to start formal police K9 school. “There is an incredible bond between dog and handler; with Buster it was even more so since several officers helped raise him from a young age, including Officer Stoffel who was selected to be Buster’s handler,” the release said. “Once canine school began, Buster showed what a great working dog he was becoming through the dedication and hard work of Officer Stoffel.” The public safety department thanked the Woodbury Police K9 Fund, adding that the organization volunteered to cover Buster’s medical costs. The fund was created in 2015 by Donna Smith-Stafford to honor her husband, Bruce Stafford, and has raised money to help the city pay for dogs, training and equipment. Bruce Stafford, who died suddenly in 2014, was a Woodbury firefighter for 22 years and served as chief. “Our canine teams will continue to train hard and serve the City of Woodbury because of the strong foundation of the program, the commitment from our handlers, the support from city leaders and staff, and the backing of the community through the Woodbury Police K9 Fund,” the release said.

Tags

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.
| Old Memorials | Site Map
Copyright © 1973 - 2024 Louise Krause Memorials to Fallen K-9's Hosted By PC-GEEK Site Maintained BY Jim Cortina