K9 Ollie – Gwent, Whales

Died – 6/15/22
Handler – PC Thomas

Tributes to Gwent Police dog PD12 Ollie after his death

GWENT Police have paid tribute to a former police dog, who had been with the force for more than half a decade, after his death yesterday. Announcing the sad news on social media, Gwent Police said: “It is with great sadness that we announce that PD12 Ollie has passed away after a short illness.” Ollie joined the force after being picked up as a stray back in 2015.He was given a new lease of life as a police dog, working as a specialist search dog for Gwent Police’s Dog Section. His time was spent looking for drugs, cash and firearms.”He was a great working dog for us and had plenty of incredible finds,” a Gwent Police spokesperson said. Last week, PD Ollie went on holiday to the family caravan where he played in the sea with his favourite toy – his floating rugby ball – and went on plenty of beach walks. “Ollie will be missed by all, none more so than his kennel mate, PD Wish, and his handler, PC Thomas – who was with Ollie when he went to sleep, ensuring he was loved and cared for until the end,” a spokesperson said.”PC Thomas would like to thank Summerwood Vets for their care of Ollie and Rowe Veterinary Referrals who did the final scan yesterday and helped make the difficult decision to put him to sleep.”Thank you for your service PD12 Ollie.”

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.