K9 Bosco – Muskogee, Oklahoma

Died – 4/20/17
Handler – Lt. William Peters

K9 officer honored in processional before being put to sleep

The officer was good at his job; He and his handler, Lt. William Peters, won the 2013 state K9 team of the year. Bosco retired in 2014. Peters told FOX23 the dog’s hips had gone out, and he struggled to walk because of his age. The decision was made to put Bosco down. Thursday, the department, special vehicles, police officers and citizens joined in a processional escorting Bosco to the veterinarian’s office. Bosco joined the Muskogee Police Department in 2009 as a dual-purpose patrol dog. Bosco helped track down hundreds of suspects and assisted in thousands of drug arrests. Peters said Bosco was a great dog and part of his family.

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.