K9 Kaye – Sanilac County, Michigan

Died 6/8/21
Handler – Sheriff Deputy Bryan Heilig

Sanilac County Sheriff mourns death of retired police dog, welcomes another

The Sanilac County Sheriff Department mourns the passing of a retired police dog while welcoming its first dog to the drug task force. On Tuesday night, police dog Kaye died at the age of 15, said her former handler and owner Sanilac County Sheriff Deputy Bryan Heilig. “It was heartbreaking,” he said. The German Shepherd joined the department in 2008 and medically retired four years later. Heilig said Kaye served with him on road patrol. She searched for and detected narcotics, searched for missing people and criminals and attended community outreach events with the department. “Watching her track was pretty amazing, how her nose worked,” Heilig said. Heilig said Kaye was protective of him and the vehicle. But, when she got home she was like a normal family pet. Sanilac County Sheriff Paul Rich, who was a sergeant with the department during the time Kaye served, also said the dog was very gentle but knew when it was time to work. “She was very loyal to Deputy Heilick and she was a huge asset to our department,” Rich said. She happily lived out her retirement as a family dog. “She’s the family pet and loves to play and the tennis ball turned into just a toy instead of a reward,” Heilig said.

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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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