K9 Stitch – St. Petersburg , Florida

Died – 1/20/21
Handler – Officer Bill

We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of K9 Stitch. Our condolences to Stitch’s partner, the St. Petersburg Police Department and all who knew and loved him. Run free and thank you for your service “Handsome Mr. August 2020”. The St. Pete Police Department is mourning K-9 officer Stitch, who died of bloat Wednesday. “Handsome Mr. August 2020, bomb sniffer & bad guy catcher K9 Stitch died yesterday after his stomach flipped,” a tweet from the department reads. “#stpetepd is saddened by his death & thank him for his unconditional loyalty, dedication & 4 years of service. He was 6yo… He was a good boy.” The department says the 6-year-old German Shepherd served for 4 years. During that time, he was named Handsome Mr. August 2020. The American Kennel Club says a flipped stomach, also known as bloat, is common in larger breed dogs. According to the AKC, bloat is deadly 30% of the time, even after extensive treatment. It’s not clear what exactly causes the dogs stomach to flip, but some veterinarians say the cases they treat began with a dog eating too fast.

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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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