State's Longest Serving Arson Dog Dies at Age 15

Georgia’s sixth and longest serving arson dog, Cotton, will be dearly missed and remembered as a valuable asset in the fight against arson.

Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens announced Monday that Cotton, a yellow labrador retriever, died at age 15 on Feb. 19 after suffering a short illness.

“We’ll always remember Cotton as a valuable employee in the fight against arson,” Hudgens said.

Cotton was born on Feb. 9, 2001 and began his training as an arson detection labrador retriever in August 2003 in Maine. He arrived in Georgia to work for the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s office one month later, becoming the state’s sixth arson canine that served law enforcement and fire service communities.

Between September 2003 and January 2014, Cotton helped his handler, Investigator Bruce Gourley, investigate over 3,000 fires in Georgia. Cotton’s speciality was sniffing out petrochemical products that could determine if fires were started by accelerants. Cotton’s trusty nose led to the conviction of 250 arson suspects, including six arrests for murders where arson was involved.

Cotton worked his last assignment in August 2013 in Barrow County.

“Without his special abilities, hundreds of suspicious fires in Georgia may have gone unsolved,” Hudgens said.

-- Cotton will be dearly missed. Photo courtesy of the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s office.