K9 Orfeus – Washoe, Nevada

Died 6/4/23
Handler – Officer Ed Kendall

Retired WCSD police dog passes away

The Washoe County School District announced Monday afternoon that retired police K9 Orfeus has passed away.The district says Orfeus passed in the comfort and care of his handler, retired school police officer Ed Kendall.Orfeus was born in Holland and started his career with the district in 2016, being trained in narcotics detection and retiring in 2021.He lived with Officer Kendall throughout his time with the WCSD until his death on June 4 from medical complications.“K-9 Orfeus was an invaluable member of our team and he served our students and staff members with distinction,” said WCSD Police Chief Jason Trevino. “He participated in presentations at our schools and helped convey important messages to our students about drug prevention. We are grateful for his service and dedication to our district.”

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.