" J, GOD'S SPECIAL WARRIOR"
You've been by my side since birth until death.
I held you at first dawn and I held you at final sunset.
 You searched high and low,
in the blackness of the night and the heat of the day.
You are a dog of S.A.R
You watched divers go down worried they may not come up.
You gave up your ball for a victims cry of pain.
You are a dog of S.A.R
You sometimes disobeyed at home,
thinking desert rules applied here.
You made up your own games when told not to squeak
Then curled up to me when resting on a peak.
You are a dog of S.A.R.
You are always at my side, Always in my heart.
You will guide me to the bridges end, for rainbow's final light.
 You are a dog of S.A.R. - You are my Hero  JJ
 Vaya Con Dios   JJ   Vaya Con Dios
submitted by Liz Weaver

I'm sorry to announce the passing of Steve Vesco's K9 partner "Jag" of the Windsor Police Department. Officer Vesco and K9 "Jag" were the 1st runner -up recipents of the Daniel Wasson K9 Memorial Award in 2003 and were also members of the CPWDA for 10 years. Please pass your condolences to Steve and his family at vesco@townofwindsorct.com  Steve wanted me to tell everyone that a memorial service for Jag will be held in approximately 2 more weeks and he will let me know the date and time to pass along to everyone. Steve's requested that this message below would be passed along.  submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
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Jim,     I'm sadden to announce that on 3/26/08 at 0815 , K9 Jag was put to sleep after a quick and sudden illness. He was an amazing partner that always made me look good holding the leash. His 10 1/2 year career was stellar. I know that he will never be forgotten by all in the K9 community, friends and especially my wife and children. He never complained, not even to the end. I never imagined that it would be so hard, but many have reached out to me. Thank you to all that have helped make Jag and I a success.
A special thanks to my wife (Heidi), Doug Humphrey, Bill Nott, Jeff Angell, Mike Bride, CPWDA & Penny Harris.
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Windsor’s award-winning police dog dies
A few months past his 12th birthday and only five months after retiring, the Police Department’s award-winning police dog, Jagger, died Wednesday. Officer Steven Vesco had retired Jagger, a German shepherd everyone called, “Jag,” last fall for medical reasons; Jag had been sick off and on at the time. At the time Jag was retired, he had been the department’s police dog for more than a decade, proving instrumental in more than 300 arrests, and collecting upwards of 15 awards and certificates. Vesco, Jag’s handler, continue to bring the dog to work on the midnight shift after retirement because his four-legged ex-partner would get restless at home and keep people awake. “The last couple of days, he just wasn’t himself,” Vesco said Thursday. Usually, when it was time to go to work, Jag would barrel out the door, Vesco said. But the night of Vesco’s midnight shift between Tuesday and Wednesday, Jag sat at the top of the stairs. Vesco had to coax him down, and when he tried to give him some water, Jag only had a sip. “He got unresponsive. He was shaking all night,” Vesco said. He checked on Jag frequently, afraid he wouldn’t make it, “but he kept holding on.”
He later took Jag, who had a high temperature, to the Bolton Veterinary Hospital where, a short time later, he had to be put down. “He spent his last night at the police station. He was definitely happy, and never complained until the end,” Vesco said. Vesco said he’s been asked if he’s interested in taking on another police dog. The Police Department has two police dog slots, and when Jag retired, one slot was left open.
And while Vesco might not be ready just yet, “There’s a good probability I’ll do it again,” he said. But having a canine partner involves more than just being given a dog. “It’s so much work,” Vesco said. In addition to regular police work on his part, a dog handler is responsible for a weekly certification workshop and seminar for the dog, training classes, medical classes, and liability classes. “On top of that — if you want to participate — there’s the K-9 Olympics,” Vesco said. In 2001, he and Jag came in second place overall.
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A 'real good run' for Windsor police dog
By Kristen J. Tsetsi, Journal Inquirer
WINDSOR - In providing more than a decade of service to his community, Jagger suffered a brutal attack to his head, was nearly strangled to death, proved instrumental in more than 300 arrests, and collected upwards of 15 awards and certificates for his performance. Finally, at the ripe old age of 11, the German Shepherd dual-purpose police dog, affectionately known as "Jag," is ready to retire. Rather, his handler, Patrolman Steven Vesco, 38, is ready to retire Jag - who's been sick off and on - for medical reasons. "He'll probably get bored," Vesco said. "He'd still do the job, but it's like putting a 77-year-old man out on the street."
Jag, who will be 12 next month, is a patrol/narcotics dog, so he's been busy the past 10 years and 4 months specializing in drug sniffing and evidence recovery, as well as in suspect apprehension. The way Vesco tells it, Jag started small but managed to work his way into increasingly life-threatening situations.
In March of 2000, Jag received the Merit Award for assisting in the apprehension of "a couple robbery suspects" who had been "stealing car stereos and robbing people in the street," Vesco said. "We sent Jag into the building, and he found a guy hiding in a closet on the third floor," Vesco said.
Four years later, Jag earned a Distinguished Service Citation from the town of East Hartford for his role in another case, this one involving a suspect who, Vesco believes, used the butt of a gun to pound Jag's head. Repeatedly. "You could see something wrong with one of his eyes," Vesco said, recalling the day he spotted Jag backing out of an alleyway crawlspace. A bank robbery suspect had hidden himself there, beneath a wooden and concrete slab. When Vesco and others lifted the slab to expose the suspect, "That's when we saw the gun just sitting there." Once forced into the open, "It took 6 of us struggling with him after that" to contain the man. Vesco said the man was high on PCP. The worst, though, was a case in March 2006 involving a 6-foot-2, 300-pound mentally disturbed man. It took three officers 38 minutes to wrestle him into submission. Jag was initially sent in to engage the man and managed to get off a bite to the chest. Unfortunately, proximity didn't work in Jag's favor, and the man grabbed him and put him in a suffocating chokehold. Officers struggled to free Jag for close to 40 minutes, Vesco said. They hit the man. They used their sticks. Jag, too, struggled, kicking and squirming until "he was almost dead," Vesco said. "He was at the brink of unconsciousness" when the suspect released him. For that engagement, Vesco said, the town of Windsor awarded Jag the Departmental Citation Award on Oct. 18.  Jim Cortina, director of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association where Jag was trained, said Jag has had "a real good run." "If you get seven to eight years" out of a dog, Cortina said, "that's the average." After retiring on Wednesday, Jag will continue to live with Vesco, and whether the Police Department - which currently has two canines (until Jag leaves) - will get another dog is "up in the air," Vesco said. He explained there are several determining factors the department considers with respect to acquiring police dogs, including who the dog's handler will be. The officer who handles the dog lives with the dog. "And I already have a dog," Vesco said.
 *****PHOTOS*****

Police K-9 teams from across state attend memorial - 4/17/08 - Connecticut
Police K-9 teams from across Connecticut attended a memorial service April 12 for two of their comrades, deceased K-9s Jag and Valor of the Windsor Police Department. Coming from far corners of the state, such as Stratford and Ledyard, cruisers marked "K-9" lined both sides of Broad Street.
Forming an honor processessional on each side of the central pathway of the town green, K-9 teams with black bands across their badges lined the central path of the town green.
Officers Steven Vesco and Amy Fiano of the WPD carried the ashes of their former K-9 partners along the honor processional and placed them on a draped table where flower petals where strewn and next to a headstone for Jag and Valor. Donated by the Ferraina family of Windsor, the headstone will be placed outside the Public Safety Complex. In memory, Vesco and Fiano saluted Jag and Valor. Both Jag and Valor had been retired after many years of service to Windsor. Jag died this year on March 26 and Valor died March 28, 2007.
The memorial service for Jag and Valor also paid respect to the dedication of all police K-9 handlers and the special bond between officers and their K-9 partners. As well, the service memorialized police K-9s that passed without eulogy because it is rare for communities to host such a service. Serving as master of ceremonies, Officer Christopher Moylan of the Enfield Police Department K-9 unit indicated he hoped the memorial in Windsor will encourage other towns to hold similar services.
"I hope this will have a domino effect," he said.WPD Detective Michele Neary, who helped Moylan organize the service, read from a poem written by Moylan, titled, "Heaven's Gate." An a cappella rendition of "Amazing Grace" sung by Moylan's wife brought many in the audience to tears.
Officer Eric A. Rocheleau, of the West Hartford Police Department K-9 unit, praised Vesco and Fiano for the "spotless and unbeliveable" reputation of the Windsor police K-9 unit.
"People don't understand the bond an officer has with a K-9 partner, working double shifts - they don't complain," said Rocheleau," t he stress of putting them in harm's way, the thrill of the capture." Rocheleau went on to talk about the emotions for officers that are tied to retiring their K-9 partners and the depth of sorrow that comes when they die. Captain Thomas LePore of the WPD noted that Valor had been a Fidelco guide dog that proved to be too social for service with that organization. "So, Valor came to us," said LePore.
Valor's disposition made the canine ideal for community relations, and Valor and Fiano became popular and much requested at school events, said LePore. In addition, he said, Valor and Fiano were well known in town and always welcomed while making their rounds by local businesspeople. At the time Fiano was paired with Valor in 1997, she was one of just a few female handlers in Connecticut. Serving from 1997 to 2004, Valor and Fiano were called out many times to search for subjects or drugs.
WPD Capain Kelvan Kearse not only worked with Jag and Vesco in Windsor but also as commander of the regional SWAT team. "He was a pound dog," said Kearse. Yet, paired with Vesco from 1997 to 2007, Kearse said, Jag developed into a police K-9 that, in his opinion, was "second to none." Kearse said Jag was trained to such precision that he could be sent in pursuit by Vesco yelling, "go get him," but stop immediately in front of a suspect in a "bark and hold" position without biting, unless it became absolutely neccessary.
Kearse shared some humorous memories of Jag and Vesco, but said when it came to police work, the two were always serious. Vesco and Jag participated in hundreds of arrests and numerous physical apprehensions, he noted. Jag matured into a police K-9 with tracking skills so extraordinary, said Kearse, that once Jag and Vesco were on a suspect's trail it was just a matter of waiting to hear the inevitable message radioed in, "We got 'em." That held true, noted Kearse, until Jag's last day on the job. "Jag's presence will be missed," said Kearse.
Addressing the group, Vesco thanked many people, especially his wife and children and the families of all K-9 team officers, for the sacrifice they endure in the face of their loved one's long hours of training and duty. If there is one piece of advice he could impart to other officers, Vesco said it is "trust your dog."
Windsor Police Chief Kevin Searles said later that the memorial service was important. "It is important to reinforce the values so important to officers, to rekindle their sense of dedication to duty and the dedication of all officers to the mission of protecting the public," said Searles. As the ceremony came to a close, each K-9 team came forward to salute the memory of Jag and Valor. At Vesco's request, Officer Richard Boyle of the Manchester Police Department K-9 unit read the poem "Guardians of The Night." Author unknown, excerpts of the poem read: "Trust in me my friend for I am your comrade. I will protect you with my last breath when all others have left you And the loneliness of the night closes in, I will be at your side. Together we will conquer all obstacles, and search out those who might wish harm to others. "For a time, we were unbeatable. Nothing passed among us undetected. If we should meet again on another street, I will gladly take up your fight, I am a Police Working Dog, and together we are guardians of the night."  **The complete text of "Guardians of The Night" can be found on the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Web site.

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Handler: Const. Dan Joly
Belleville Police ( Canada )

Canine cop dies after surgery
Belleville police Const. Dan Joly has lost his partner. Jaeger, a German shepherd police service dog, died last week after complications following stomach surgery. "He was about eight-and-a-half (years old)," said Joly, who had gone through 16 weeks of training with Jaeger from the outset of the dog's career and worked with him since. "He was our service dog from 2002 until now."
Joly said Jaeger was only a month or two from retirement when he fell ill suddenly. "It's a tough thing," he said. One dog works with one handler, and the pair were a team. Police dogs are used in a variety of ways, including sniffing out drugs, tracking missing people and suspects from scent taken off clothing and other items and helping out during drug raids. But Joly said he and Jaeger really enjoyed meeting the public.
"We did hundreds of appearances," the constable said, including at schools and service clubs. "The people enjoyed seeing him. He was always very good." Because Jaeger was near retirement, Joly went through training with another German Shepherd, Diablo, and that dog joined the service in August 2007. He is Joly's new partner. But there was only one Jaeger and he and Joly had grown as close as possible, a bond only a dog lover would understand. "It's extremely difficult," Joly said of Jaeger's death.
submitted by Jim Cortina

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J.J., the Salt Lake City Police Department’s first bloodhound, was diagnosed over a year ago with a malignant melanoma in his mouth. He was handled by K9 Officer Mike Serio for almost nine years. J.J.
underwent aggressive treatment in New York City, to not only save his life, but also to prolong his career as a Police Service Dog. J.J. and Officer Serio are responsible for the apprehension of close to 300 wanted people during J.J.’s almost nine years of service to the Police Department. Since he was first diagnosed with cancer, J.J. has apprehended close to 50 suspects, with his longest track reaching almost three miles. J.J. is one of three bloodhounds to work with the Salt Lake City Police Department. His handler pioneered the bloodhound urban tracking program in Utah. Due to the success of this program, the Salt Lake City Police Department has since added two more bloodhounds to their K9 team. Since that time two other Salt Lake Valley agencies have added bloodhounds to their K9 teams, and others are looking to follow suit. K9 Officer Mike Serio appreciates the support J.J. has received over the past year from the media and members of the community. At this time he would appreciate his privacy.
MORE
'JJ,' the SLPD's criminal catching bloodhound dies of cancer
"JJ" could be heard from blocks away, howling that he was on the trail of a wanted criminal.
It became his trademark, putting a wanted man on notice that the Salt Lake City Police Department's infamous criminal catching bloodhound was hot on his trail. In his storied 9-year career, JJ had nearly 300 apprehensions.  Officers are mourning the death of the department's first-ever bloodhound, who died from a rare and aggressive form of cancer that was first diagnosed in late 2006.  "JJ's health declined during the past couple of weeks, and his handler recently discovered that his cancer had returned," Salt Lake City Police detective Jeff Bedard said in a statement Friday. "In the early morning hours of Thursday ... JJ succumbed to his cancer."  JJ was handled by Salt Lake City Police Officer Mike Serio for the past nine years. Serio and JJ pioneered the use of bloodhounds in urban environments in Utah. Once, JJ tracked a wanted criminal for close to three miles. He was also used to help find missing children. JJ's success led Salt Lake City police to add two more bloodhounds to their K9 team. Two other Salt Lake-area police departments have also adopted bloodhounds for use in law enforcement.  To save the dog and prolong his career as a police K9, JJ was sent to New York City to undergo aggressive cancer treatments. Even after being diagnosed with cancer, Salt Lake City police said JJ apprehended nearly 50 suspects.  Serio did not wish to comment publicly on the death of JJ, police said.  "K9 Officer Mike Serio appreciates the support JJ has received over the past year from the media and  members of the community," Bedard said. By Ben Winslow - Deseret Morning News
Published: Friday, March 14, 2008 2:44 p.m. MDT - E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com submitted by Jim Cortina