K9 Zender – Victoria, Canada

Handler – Cst. Foley

Victoria police mourn service dog who died of a brain tumor

The Victoria Police Department is mourning the death of one of its service dogs. Zender recently retired from service due to a brain tumor, but died recently, according to a social media post by the VicPD.“attempts to extend his life were unfortunately unsuccessful,” read a post. Zender’s career at VicPD started in 2018 and he was one of the first six teams involved in the formation of the Integrated Canine Service in 2021, say police. “Known for having a successful career, Zender apprehended a multitude of suspects & located numerous pieces of evidence,” the VicPD said. “Zender was spoiled until his last day & although always vocal, he was loved for being a teddy bear outside his work. His presence will be sorely missed in the unit & with his family.”

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.