K9 Aldo – Malmo, Sweeden

Died 4/11/16

K9 Aldo receives final goodbye

A former police dog of the year was given a champion send-off in the Swedish city of Malmö, but some locals thought the idea was barking. Aldo, who was voted the top police dog in Sweden in 2013 for contributing to nearly 60 arrests, was given an unusual goodbye by some of his colleagues in southern Sweden earlier this week. They gathered to salute the animal on Monday while he was taken for a final stroll by one of his handlers. Then, a procession of police cars and motorbikes drove through the city in convoy in his honor as he was taken to a veterinary clinic to be put down, following months of painful back problems. However after photos of the tribute spread on social media, the initiative created a backlash, as some commentators argued that the event was a misuse of public money or that police officers should have been focused on chasing criminals instead. One Twitter user posted a link to a photo of the procession with the comment: “Today police received 250 million kronor to ‘cope with the border controls’. Meanwhile at the police station…However others appeared touched by the initiative. “It’s the least you could do for a colleague that would sacrifice their life for you if necessary,” wrote Jonas Persson on regional newspaper Sydsvenskan’s Facebook page. Dog lover Ingela Grahn posted: “Anyone who is writing spiteful comments has never had the pleasure of knowing and working with an animal.” Local police chief Erik Jansåker responded to the criticism on Tuesday afternoon, arguing that the ceremony had taken a “very short time” and noting that many of the police officers who had attended had done so during their leisure time. “There has not been a charge to the taxpayer. It was a gesture in this particular case and all things considered I think it was quite reasonable,” he told he TT news agency. As The Local reported last October, Sweden’s most recent winning police dog is named Herman. He scooped the 2015 award for his work sniffing out more than 30 kilos of drugs and a dozen weapons as well as saving a missing toddler.

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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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