K9 Thor- West Palm Beach, Florida

Handler – Officer Sniffen

West Palm Beach Police say ‘RIP’ to K9 Thor

The West Palm Beach Police Department have announced the passing of the retired K9 Thor.According to POLICE, Thor passed away with his handler, Officer Sniffen, at his side. “Rest in Peace friend you will be missed by many. You protected us well, your work here is done, good boy,” stated police. Thor began his service as a K9 in January of 2012. He was trained in criminal apprehension and explosive detection. He aided police in over a thousand searches and helped capture more than a hundred criminal suspects. Aside from chasing the bad guys, Thor also enjoyed playing with his co-workers. Police said K9 Thor was dedicated to protecting the citizens in the City of West Palm Beach and the state of Florida.

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.