Related Articles
Died – 5/31/19
Handler – Deputy Russ Day
K9 Jordan passes
Daviess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) lost a loyal member of its team on Friday morning as Deputy K-9 Jordan was put to rest after suffering from lung cancer. Jordan was a key component of DCSO for three years, serving dual purposes in drug and narcotics detection and patrol work. According to Jordan’s longtime K-9 handler, Deputy Russ Day, Jordan began his stint with DCSO in 2013 at the age of 2. Jordan was introduced to the local K-9 unit through a Dallas-based K9s4COPs organization that bestowed a grant to DCSO for the purchase of Jordan. “They’re an amazing company,” Day said. “They raise money from different companies and philanthropists and place K-9s in units that don’t have the budget for it. The average purchase price for a K-9 runs anywhere between $15,000 and $20,000.” After receiving the grant, Day and Jordan began their partnership in the K-9 Unit, forming an extremely close bond during the years they worked, trained and lived together. “You build a real strong bond with them — you have to. We push them because we know they have to win every situation we have to put them in,” Day said. “Their lives depend on it — it’s all about him saving my life most of the time. Sometimes we’re with our dogs more than our wives.” After three years on the job, Day said Jordan was injured during a training exercise. Slipping off a two-by-eight foot board, Jordan suffered a torn ligament in his back leg and was ultimately forced to medically retire. “He retired at 5 or 6 years old,” Day said. “He was doing detection run training when he was injured. His legs were so strong, but it’s really hard on the dogs when they injure their back legs like that.” Though Jordan remained off the clock for the remainder of his 8-year life, Jordan continued to live with Day and his family, and the bond between the two partners remained close. However, Jordan was diagnosed with lung cancer in recent months after suffering a bout of pneumonia that required a three-day stay at the vet and a large dose of antibiotics. Having seemingly recovered, Jordan ultimately fell ill another time. “The cancer came back and we had to put him down [Friday] morning,” Day said.Jordan was a great partner and friend to have in their six years together, Day said. Jordan completed a great number of narcotics findings for DCSO, Kentucky State Police and the Owensboro Police Department during his tenure.“He always knew his boundaries and he listened real well,” Day said of Jordan’s work performance. “He was a very social dog too. He loved to be petted. He was great with kids. My wife teaches second grade, and I never thought twice about taking him to her classroom.” One of Jordan’s most exciting life experiences included a guest appearance on the Steve Harvey Show in Chicago. K9s4COPs Founder and Chairman Kristi Schiller was honored on the show for being a local area hero and 10 of the K-9 dogs Schiller had donated to law enforcement agencies across the country showed up on the show to surprise her. “That was a really cool thing — it was a pretty big deal,” Day said. “You know, I’m a country boy from Kentucky, and being on the Steve Harvey Show was just a really cool experience.” Though Day says he is extremely sad to lose his partner and friend, he also knows Jordan had an amazing life — one that was cut too short, Day said, but amazing nonetheless.
