K9 Aches – Noble, Ohio

Handler – Investigator McGilton

It is with extreme sadness that we announce the sudden and unexpected passing of our own K-9 ACHES. Recently, Aches (4.5 years old) had fallen ill. After dedicated care at home, and travel to Columbus for expert advice, it was determined that he had an inoperable tumor on his spine. Aches was one of the rare and special K-9’s in that, he was 100% work, however when he was at home he was 100% a family dog. He leaves behind has dedicated partner, best friend, and Dad, Investigator McGilton. Aches proudly served the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections in Noble County for nearly 3 years as a Dual Purpose Narcotics K-9 Officer. In duty, he played an integral role in locating and removing large amounts of illegal narcotics from the prison facility.His accomplishments spoke for themselves and lead to the addition of more K-9’s in his division. Aches. Our heart is breaking for your Family, your many friends, and your fellow officers. We cannot thank you enough for your unwavering dedication to the PK9A in the past few years. Your brief tenure with us was a model for what every K-9 team should be.

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.