King County Search Dogs mourns the loss of a legend. K9 Jackson, known to all as “Jack!”, died suddenly last week after a decade of service to our community.
Full of life and a bit full of himself, Jack was a beautiful German Shepherd Dog who was certified in wilderness airscent and human remains detection. Jack was an instant hero when he found a missing 9 year old girl on his very first search. He was so happy to find her and so eager to play that it startled the girl and other searchers had to chase after her while his handler Courtney distracted Jack with reward play. Jack had a special bond with Courtney that was evident on both their faces whenever they trained and on over 150 subsequent mission deployments. As mentors and role models Jack and Courtney helped shape a generation of KCSD search dog teams.
Jack loved everyone. He will forever be remembered for laying his slobbery toy at the feet of each and every person at training asking for a vigorous tug or a game of fetch. It was always a joy when your turn came because it was clear by the look in Jack’s eyes that he did not just want to play, he wanted to play with you!
Cherished memories alone can’t mend broken hearts but we hope you will join us in sending condolences to Courtney and Jack’s protégée K9 Myka.
