K9 Barnabas, Knoxville, Tennessee

Died 10/16/24
Handler – Candy Stooksbury

Knoxville police search and rescue dog dies after more than decade of service

The Knoxville Police Department is grieving the loss of one of its beloved search and rescue dogs. After over a decade of service, Search and Rescue K-9 Barnabas’s watch ended on October 16. K-9 Barnabas became an active member of the team in 2012 at the age of five months, according to KPD. In his 12 years of service, Barnabas took part in countless search and rescue missions in Knoxville and throughout the region alongside his handler Candy Stooksbury, including the Gatlinburg fires and the 2022 Kentucky floods. He’s also made TV appearances on Investigation Discovery. He will be deeply missed by his handler and the rest of the department.

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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