K9 Arko – Columbia, Florida

Died – 12/31/24
Handler – Deputy Lucas Bedenbaugh

K-9 dies of ‘natural causes’ in Columbia County

A K-9 deputy with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office died of “natural causes” this week.Officials say K-9 Arko died suddenly in his kennel on New Year’s Eve. He was not on duty at the time.A necropsy of the dog was performed at the Compassion Animal Hospital. Veterinarians determined the 8-year-old Belgian Malinois died of natural causes.Arko started working for the agency in 2017. His handler was Deputy Lucas Bedenbaugh.“We appreciate Arko’s service to our community and will remember him fondly,” sheriff’s office officials stated. “Please keep his partner/handler in your thoughts and prayers as they shared a special bond.”

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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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