ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Fire Department is mourning the passing of retired K-9 Jessie from natural causes at age 8. She served OFD for more than six years by working with the Arson Bomb Squad.
“Jessie assisted in hundreds of fires and was challenged in several cases dealing with arson and homicide,” according to a statement from OFD.
Her handler, Lt. Ronald Verbal and Jessie had a 100% conviction rate on every case tried in court, it noted.
Jessie started her career as a guide dog for the visually impaired. Because of her active and energetic demeanor, Maine Specialty dogs adopted Jessie and began training as an accelerant detection K-9. The training is sponsored by State Farm Insurance.
A replacement K-9 will be announced after undergoing training in Maine and brought to Orlando by her handler, Lt. Jason Revolt, according to OFD.
Sign Up
