K9 Dirk – Hawk’s Bay – New Zealand

Hawke’s Bay police dog Dirk laid to rest after high-profile tumor surgery – ‘RIP my mate’

It is with deep sadness that I advise Police Dog ‘Dirk’ was laid to rest on Friday, 15 March. Dirk was unable to make any improvement over the last eight months while convalescing, after undergoing serious spinal surgery to remove a tumor from his spine in July 2018. Dirk had a number of major setbacks with infections and other related spinal issues. His quality of life was such that he was totally reliant on his carers for support. This decision was not made lightly and was made for Dirk’s well-being. Thank you to everyone who was involved with Dirk’s care and all the well-wishers who followed Dirk’s fight to recover. This included the amazing team at Massey University, Veterinary Surgeon/ Police liaison Vicky Ersheig, Simone Botterill, Kennel Services, Trentham Dog Training Centre and the Hawke’s Bay Dog Section. Dirk is a huge loss to the New Zealand Police and the Hawke’s Bay Police Dog Section. He was an exceptional police dog and was struck down too soon.He touched many hearts with his awesome nature and loved his cuddles and ear rubs with whoever made a fuss of him.

Tags

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.
| Old Memorials | Site Map
Copyright © 1973 - 2024 Louise Krause Memorials to Fallen K-9's Hosted By PC-GEEK Site Maintained BY Jim Cortina