K9 Hunter – Sever, Tennessee

Died 8/24/22

Retired K-9 found dead after escaping transport vehicle in Sevier County

A retired K-9 was found dead Wednesday morning after escaping more than a week ago from his kennel inside a transport vehicle .According to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, an animal transport company was making a cross-country trip from New Jersey to California when it made an emergency stop around 7:15 p.m. on Aug. 13 near the intersection of Hwy 71 and Hwy 27 after they realized retired K-9 Hunter had escaped from the vehicle.Two women, one unknown and the other who later identified herself as Jess, claimed to be from the area and helped the transport company employees search for the Belgian Malinois. They searched all night, and when they did not find Hunter, the employees left the area. Jess offered to contact them if Hunter turned up.The transport company says Jess contacted the transport company two days later and told them that she found Hunter and claimed that her father-in-law had the K-9 and wanted to keep him. They even offered to pay $200 for the dog. When the owner learned about the offer, they said Hunter was not for sale and stopped all communication.Police realized that the number the woman was calling from was an internet application and not a traceable number.Sgt. Davignon was told about the ongoing situation and went to several homes in the area where Hunter went missing. When no leads turned up, the sheriff’s office posted about Hunter on its Facebook page, hoping that someone would assist in his safe return.A Facebook user contacted the sheriff’s office on August 24, saying they found what they believed were Hunter’s remains on a secluded road in Little River County about 15 miles from where Hunter disappeared.Sevier County Sheriff Robert Gentry said while they are not sure what caused the animal’s death, it appears Hunter he had been dead for four to five days.Sgt. Davignon confirmed that the remains were Hunter’s with the help of his owner.

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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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