K9 Luna – Bismarck, North Dakota

Died – 12/9/17
Handler – Lt. Chad Fetzer

Bismarck Police mourn K-9

Bismarck Police are mourning the loss of a K-9. K-9 Luna had appeared ill earlier this month and became seriously ill on Thursday. That day, she underwent surgery that found a tumor and other concerns. Biopsy results were due within a week, but Luna, 7, died Saturday while at the veterinary clinic. Luna had served with Bismarck Police since December 2012. Lt. Chad Fetzer was her handler and partner. She completed 23 certifications in areas of narcotics, tracking and apprehension. Bismarck Police reported she located “an enormous amount” of narcotics, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine in her career. She also won several K-9 awards in competitions and was inducted into the North Dakota Animal Hall of Fame in 2014. With Luna’s death, police now have two K-9s who are dual-trained for narcotics detection and patrol work. Bismarck Police Chief Dan Donlin said police plan to acquire another K-9; before Luna’s death, the department was already attempting to acquire another dog despite budget constraints. “This is more than a loss of a dog; this is a loss of a working partner who happened to also go home with Lt. Fetzer after every shift,” Bismarck Police said in a statement. “Thank you, Luna and Lt. Fetzer, for your courageous dedication to serving the citizens of Bismarck.”

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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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