K9 Monster – Lisbon, Iowa

Died – 2/25/25
Missing police K9 found dead

A police K9 that disappeared Monday night has been found dead.The Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Police Department said its K9 Officer Monster disappeared from his handler’s home after 10 p.m. Monday. That prompted a search with drones that turned up empty.At around 10:14 a.m. on Tuesday, first responders found a dog’s body submerged in a partially ice-covered pond in the 900 block of Willow Lane in Lisbon.The Mount Vernon Fire Department recovered the dog, which was later confirmed to be K9 Officer Monster.“K9 Officer Monster has served on our department for the past 7 years and has made an impact on every officer, staff members, and the entire community,” Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Police Chief Douglas Shannon said in a statement. “K9 Monster was a tremendous asset to our department and the community he served.”According to the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun, the handler let the dog out for a bathroom break, but then discovered the dog was missing a short time later.“Monster has just been a paramount part of our police department, and he is going to be greatly missed,” MVLPD Chief Doug Shannon told the newspaper. “He really touched every one he came in contact with, and it’s made for some heavy hearts in our department today.”Chief Shannon said the department plans to replace Monster with a new K9 Officer, but is uncertain how long that might take.

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.