K9 Kane – Indiana State Police

Handler – Sgt. Stephen Wheeles

Retired Indiana police dog dies after years of service

A retired Indiana police dog, who served the community for several years, has died. Kane has died at the age of 13. He served Indiana State police from December 2007 until his retirement in 2015. In his golden years, Kane enjoyed chasing tennis balls and relaxing. Kane worked alongside Sgt. Stephen Wheeles for years, assisting in countless investigations in the Jennings County area. “His age, along with years of police K-9 work, finally caught up to him and his body just couldn’t hold on any longer. He is pain free now,” Wheeles said. “Job well done, Kane. You will be missed. Rest easy,” he added.

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.