K9 Izzy – Waunakee, Wisconsin

Die 1/11/21
Handler – Officer Brent Schmidt

Waunakee Police K9 Izzy Dies From Surgery Complications

Waunakee Police Department (WPD) K9 Izzy died unexpectedly on Jan. 11 due to complications associated with a routine surgery, according to her department. “It is with great sadness we announce the passing of K-9 Izzy,” the WPD said in a Facebook post two days later. The two-year-old black Labrador retriever joined the department several months before her sudden death, and served alongside her human partner, WPD Officer Brent Schmidt, the Waunakee Tribune reported. Earlier this month, Officer Schmidt spoke to the Waunakee Tribune about his longtime goal of becoming a K9 handler. Although he had only been on the force for about a year when a K9 handler position opened up in July of 2019, he knew he had to go for it. “I said ‘I’m going to throw my name in the mix. I’m a young officer, but hopefully they see my potential,’” Officer Schmidt recalled. He was elated to be chosen for the position, and was soon paired up with K9 Izzy. They trained together to hone K9 Izzy’s search, tracking and narcotics detection skills, as well as basic K9 obedience. “She is a super social dog, super friendly,” Officer Schmidt told the Waunakee Tribune. “She loves meeting people.” He was looking forward to having more opportunities to incorporate K9 Izzy into interactions with the community. “It just creates positive interaction between law enforcement and our community members. And I think that’s what we need right now,” Officer Schmidt told the Waunakee Tribune. “The K9 program is a really good asset to introduce young individuals to policing with a positive interaction,” he added. The WPD said that K9 Izzy had forged a strong bond with her handler and the rest of her department during her short career. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Waunakee Police Department and Officer Schmidt in the loss of K9 Izzy.

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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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