GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Green Bay Police Department is growing by eight paws.
Thanks to the generosity of donors, the department welcomed two new K9 officers to the team.
Mattie, a two-year-old, female, Belgian Malinois and Nox, a two-year-old, male, German Shepard, will bring the department’s K9 unit up to five dogs and handlers, one for each patrol shift.
Mattie and Nox underwent three months of extensive training at a kennel in North Carolina that specializes in police K9s to be able to be dual-purpose for the department. In addition, each dog completed four weeks of additional training while paired with their handlers.
The K9s will be assigned patrol and narcotics work and will assist in tracking, searches, and the apprehension of suspects.
“We are excited at the arrival of our two new police dogs, Mattie and Nox. The dogs and new handlers have been training hard and they are ready to get out on the streets to help protect and serve the citizens of Green Bay,” said Lieutenant Jena Luberda, Green Bay Police Department.
Both dogs as well as their training were fully funded with direct donations from the community to the GBPD K9 program and the generosity of the Bark ‘n Blue Foundation, which has supported the Green Bay Police Department for the last 12 years.
“Thanks to our generous donors at Bark ‘n Blue Foundation, we’re able to continue to support the Green Bay Police Department K9 team and ensure both handlers and K9s have the resources needed to protect our community and return home safely. This team is a great asset to our community, and we’re proud to support their efforts,” said Heather Heil, President/Founder of Bark ‘n Blue Foundation.
In addition, Mattie and Nox along with the department’s three veteran K9s, Puma, Pyro, and Roco, are each being outfitted with a ballistic vest courtesy of Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog, Inc. to offer protection against blunt trauma.
