PRESS RELEASE
Retired K9 Tessa Passes Away
CRISP COUNTY- October 27, 2020
The Crisp County Sheriff's Office mourns the loss of retired K9 Tessa. On Monday, October 26, 2020, retired K9 Tessa passed away after a short bout with health issues. K9 Tessa was a 13-year-old Belgian Malinois, and she served the community for ten years. After an exceptional career, K9 Tessa went home and enjoyed life with her handler Sergeant Kenny Purvis and his family.
K9 Tessa started working for Crisp County Sheriff's Office when she was three years old in 2010. She spent her career as Sergeant Kenny Purvis' partner. She and Sgt. Purvis completed their advanced training at South GA K9 in Dooly Co, GA. She was nationally certified in Narcotic Detection and Tracking with the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association (NNDDA). K9 Tessa's accomplishments include a 2nd place award in Narcotics Detection and a 2nd place award in Tracking at the South GA K9/NNDDA Conference in 2015.
K9 Tessa was a vital member of the Crisp County Sheriff's Office K9 Tactical Tracking Team as she worked to locate offenders of various crimes as well as missing children and endangered missing adults. K9 Tessa has located illegal drugs, apprehended criminals, and participated in numerous community programs. In her off time, she enjoyed belly scratches, swimming, and dock-diving. She had an incredible bond with her partner and family. Today we honor K9 Tessa!
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