Handler – Deputy Jason James
Jontar, K-9 with Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, passes away
Jontar, the K-9 service dog serving with the Dakota County Sheriff’s office has died after an illness, the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office said in a release. Jontar was a 4-year-old German Shepard that had served with the sheriff’s office since 2012. His handler was Deputy Jason James. Jontar was purchased by the Dakota County K9 Foundation through a grant from the Gardner Foundation before being donated to the sheriff’s office. A dual purpose K-9, Jontar was trained in drug detection and apprehension. James and Jontar did conducted many drug finds, public demonstrations, school searches and more during the dog’s career. Recently, Jontar fell ill, and was taken to Dr. Phil Kramper at the Willis Animal Clinic in Jackson, Neb. Jontar was transferred to the Iowa State Veterinary Hospital in Ames, Iowa, for advanced care. The cause of the illness was an aggressive bacterial infection, and the treatment was unsuccessful. Jontar lived with James and his family, and the office said he will be greatly missed by his co-workers.