K9 Snieper – Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Died – 10/1/21

Handler – Officer Ben Himan 

Mt. Lebanon Police K9 Officer Snieper Passes Away

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved K9 Officer Snieper today at the age of nine, of natural causes. Snieper has been an esteemed member of our department since 2014, serving alongside his partner, Ben Himan. His keen sense of smell was often called into service to find missing persons or detect things like drugs. He was a valuable liaison between our human officers and the people of Mt. Lebanon, including the children he enjoyed so much. Our hearts go out to the Himans, as he was a well-loved member of their family. We are grateful for the many members of law enforcement and the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department who supported us today as Snieper left the office for the last time. We would like to extend our gratitude for the compassion of Greentree Animal Clinic, Pittsburgh Pets at Home, Tamara Padgelek and Susan Padgelek.

 

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.