The Green Bay Police Department has welcomed two new K9s to the team. We would like to introduce Mattie, a two-year-old, female, Belgian Malinois and Nox, a two-year-old, male, German Shepard, bringing our 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. Upon being brought to Green Bay, each completed four weeks of additional training locally 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.
Also, Mattie and Nox along with our 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.
“Since 2005, Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog, Inc. has worked towards the goal of providing a bullet proof and stab proof vest for every police dog in Wisconsin. With the generous donations of so many people, we’ve been able to support K9 units like the City of Green Bay to continue our mission to protect the dogs that protect us,” said Donna Morgan, President of Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog, Inc.
“I’d like to thank the Bark N’ Blue organization for helping make this possible and recognize their relentless efforts and commitment to our K9 unit, and other K9 units within our area. I’d also like to recognize Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog, for outfitting our new dogs with bullet proof vests so they can be as safe as the officers while on duty,” said Lieutenant Luberda.
To learn more about the Bark ‘n Blue Foundation, visit their website at https://barknblue.org/ and for information about Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog, visit their website at https://wivestadog.org/.
