K9 Axe – New Castle, Indiana

Died – 4/27/19
Handler – Sgt. Josh Hedges

Axe, longtime Bellevue K-9, dies two weeks after his last day on patrol

The New Castle Police Department is mourning the loss of their K-9 Axe after they believe he suffered from gastric torsion, or twisted stomach. In a social media post Monday, police say Axe’s handler, Sgt. Josh Hedges found him collapsed in his kennel around 7 a.m. Saturday. Sgt. Hedges rushed Axe to the vet where they attempted to save him, but he eventually passed away. New Castle police say Axe was taken to Purdue University where an autopsy will be performed to determine his exact cause of death but they believe he suffered a medical emergency known as gastric torsion. Gastric Torsion is a disease where a dog’s stomach dilates and then rotates or twists because of bloat. The disease is common in large breed dogs and experts say genetics could play a factor in it. Symptoms of GDV include anxious behavior, depression, abdominal pain and distention, collapse, excessive drooling and vomiting and a rapid heart rate. “Sgt Hedges and K9 Axe had worked the evening prior and K9 Axe appeared well,” the department said in their social media post. “K9 Axe had been running around playing with his tennis ball as normal and assisted NCPD on a perimeter at a 911 call.” Sgt. Hedges and K-9 Axe had been partners for approximately 9 months.

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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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