K9 Hades – Wellington, New Zealand

Died – 10/15/17
Handler – Senior Constable Sue Burridge

Much-loved police dog Hades dies after battle with cancer

Much loved Wellington Police dog Hades has died. Hades, who turned nine last week, was the elder statesman of Wellington Police District’s patrol dogs.Police said that Hades had worked closely with Senior Constable Sue Burridge as a high performing team for more than five years, tracking and making hundreds of catches and arrests during his time in the force. The dog also provided inspiration for Burridge’s junior fiction book, The Adventures of Police Dog Ace, which was published last month. Hades died within hours of finishing a late shift with his handler. Last month Hades was diagnosed with cancer and although retirement was beckoning, he kept working to the end including some positive tracks on what was to be his last shift. “Sadly he became very ill yesterday morning and had to be put down. “Hades has had a great career and with Sue has been part of a very good operational team,” says Senior Sergeant Mark Davidson, officer in charge of Wellington Police Dog Section. “They’ve contributed a huge amount to police and the public.” Police say Hades will be familiar to many from his roles on reality series like Dog Squad and Women in Blue 2.

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.