K9 Stitch – Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Died – 11/30/17
Handler – Officer David Funk

Chapel Hill police say goodbye to four-pawed partner Stitch

The town lost a dedicated officer on Wednesday when police K-9 Stitch died while off duty. Stitch, a Dutch Shepard, Stitch was 3 years old when she arrived from the Czech Republic in December 2013 for 14 weeks of basic patrol training with her handler, Officer David Funk. Stitch was certified with the International Police Working Dog Association in narcotics detection, tracking, evidence recovery and apprehension. Stitch got her name when Funk noticed that the tip of her left ear was missing on the day he got her, according to the police department. She would spend her days off at Funk’s home, where retired K-9s M.J. and Mickey also live. “She was a great asset to our department and community and will be greatly missed,” town officials said in a news release Thursday. The Chapel Hill Police Department has employed 18 dogs and 12 handlers since starting its K-9 team in 1990. The team is certified by the United States Police Canine Association and the International Police Working Dog Association. The town uses public donations to buy police dogs. The typical retirement age is between six and 10 years old.The Hillsborough Police Department recently retired an 8-year-old police K-9 Viper. Viper, who joined the department in 2012, had developed an unidentified medical condition that made it hard for him to walk long distances. The town has since received a donation of $11,000 from the Durham Kennel Club and its parent organization, the American Kennel Club, to help purchase another police dog.

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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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