K9 Ryker – Spokane, Washington

1st Handler – Det. Shawn Pegram
2nd Handler – Sgt. Sean Wheeler

Spokane police dog Ryker dies

The Spokane Police Department says one of its K9 dogs, Ryker, has died. The department says it’s with “great sadness” that they let the community know that this weekend Ryker succumbed to an illness he’d bravely battled for a number of weeks. Ryker was Spokane Police Department’s first Explosives Detection K9, joining SPD in December of 2013. The department says, “Ryker was truly a special dog and incredible partner” and his loss “will be felt deeply by his handlers, our agency, and the Spokane community he was trained and dedicated to protect.” K9 Ryker trained with two different handlers during his time at SPD. His first partner, Det. Shawn Pegram, said this of Ryker, “It was a privilege to work with him for the few years I had him. He was a special dog and truly had a one-track mind; always ready to ‘find it’.” His second partner, Sgt. Sean Wheeler, had this to say, “Even to his last day, Ryker pulled himself up onto his front legs, happy to work as he saw me come down the stairs with my K9 shirt on. Ryker was so full of love, gentleness and the ultimate drive to work. My family and I will never forget Ryker as he was, without a doubt part, of our family.” The police department says they want to thank all members of the community who have reached out to Sgt. Wheeler and the Spokane Police K9 Unit with love and support for Ryker over the past few months.

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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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