K9 Axe – Spanish Fork, UT

Died – 3/30/22

Police K9 Dies During Surgery

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of K9 officer Axe after he passed away while having surgery on Wednesday. Officers say Axe was undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL when his heart suddenly stopped. Axe had previously been undergoing physical therapy and had been unable to train and perform his duties. With the treatment not working, veterinarians along with deputies made the decision to have Axe’s ACL surgically repaired. Veterinary staff were unable to revive him. Axe, an 8-year-old Dutch Shepard, worked with two different handlers as a Patrol dog certified in narcotics detection and suspect apprehension. He retired for a short time until he was brought back to serve as the first K9 in the Utah County Jail. He was used there for drug detection and was handled with a team approach using four different handlers. “Axe was full of energy and loved to ‘work.’ While he, like all our other K9s, loved rewards, he was loyal, hard-working, and fun-loving. As any pet owner knows, our K9 handlers develop strong bonds with their K9 partners. And other Deputies and staff always enjoyed watching Axe play. His energy, companionship, and willingness to serve will be missed,” the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

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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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