K9 Kalyani – Poonthura, India

Died 11/20/23

Mystery surrounds death of police dog Kalyani; postmortem confirms poisoning, action taken against three policemen

The death of Kalyani, a police dog, credited for aiding in numerous cases, remains a mystery. According to the post-mortem report, Kalyani succumbed to poisoning. Consequently, three policemen faced disciplinary action in connection with the incident. A case has been registered by Poonthura police, initiating an investigation into the matter. The City Police Commissioner issued orders to take action against Poonthura Dog Squad SI Unnithan and two other policemen involved in Kalyani’s training. Kalyani, an esteemed member of the Thiruvananthapuram City Police’s dog squad, passed away on November 20 at the age of eight. Holding the rank of an Inspector, Kalyani was found with an unusually swollen abdomen at the time of death.

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.