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Died – 10/9/17
Handler – Officer Brittney Kotynski-Neer
Heroic Winchester police dog, Kota, finds peace
Kota, the Winchester police dog that drew national attention in 2014 after falling through an attic floor while helping officers make arrests, died Monday. The German shepherd was 10. The decision to put an animal out of its suffering is always gut -wrenching, but it was extremely painful for police officer Brittney Kotynski-Neer, Kota’s handler. He was her partner from 2009-16 and as the 2014 incident demonstrated, was willing to die for her. Kotynski-Neer said Tuesday that Kota’s spirit was strong, but his body had broken down. The decline was partially due to a disc injury related to the nearly 8-foot fall. It was painful for Kota to walk and his once powerful hind legs began collapsing on him, forcing him to drag them. Kotynski-Neer said it was hard watching her proud dog unable to get his body to work. “I wrestled with the decision,” she said. “And there’s no doubt in my mind that it was the right decision and it was the right time for him to go, to put him at peace.” Kota, who was from the Czech Republic, was one of 15 dogs the police department has had, including the two now serving. Kota was the most famous due to the circumstances of his injury. He fell while helping apprehend two burglary suspects hiding in an attic crawl space. Despite breaking his right leg and sustaining other injuries, Kota climbed a flight of stairs to rejoin Kotynski-Neer and complete the arrest. The story touched thousands of people around the nation. They donated $4,530 to pay for the nearly four-hour surgery Kota underwent. Kota and Kotynski-Neer appeared on the “Today” show in New York City, accepted an award at an event for hero dogs in Los Angeles and appeared in a segment of “Saving Private K-9” a cable television show about heroic military and police dogs. Kotynski-Neer, who joined the department in 2006, said she was surprised by the attention the incident drew. She suspects that besides being animal lovers, people were moved by the self-sacrifice of Kota and wondered if they were capable of it under the same circumstances. “You never know unless it happens,” she said. Kota, a patrol dog whose duties included tracking and sniffing out drugs, didn’t resume patrolling after his injuries, but did do drug sniffing. Kota, who lived with Kotynkski-Neer, last rode with her in October 2016 and officially retired in December.Kotynski-Neer said when officers who worked with Kota learned he was dying, they wanted him to visit the department to give him a final salute. But Kotynski-Neer said she sensed Kota wouldn’t want to be seen with his body deteriorating. Kotynski-Neer said her 4-year-old son is too young to understand the permanence of death, so it’s been tough explaining Kota’s absence. She misses the ritual of hearing Kota’s barks greet her when she returned home. Kota was Kotynksi-Neer’s first patrol dog. She has been patrolling with her new dog, Jax, since July. “They say there’s no bond quite like your first dog,” she said. “He’s got big shoes to fill.”
