Northland K9 Foundation

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office has five K-9 teams and we believe all five will be taking part at Operation K-9 next week. That includes:
K-9 Donny and Sgt. Fye
K-9 Murphy and Deputy Campbell
K-9 Ranger and Deputy Kuhnly
K-9 Thor and Deputy Thorne
K-9 Phoenix and Deputy Smith
Whether demonstrating their skills at catching bad guys or sniffing out drugs, or giving nose boops to kids during the meet-and-greet time, these K-9s are always fun to watch!

Join us for our 10th annual Operation K-9: Thursday, Aug. 1, 4:30-8 p.m. New location: the grassy field next to Wessman Arena, 2701 Catlin Avenue in Superior.\
It's free to attend with fun for all ages!

Operation K-9 is just nine days away! The Superior Police Department is always well represented by their outstanding K-9 teams. Shown here are K-9 Radik and Officer Rude demonstrating their talents at locating narcotics during a vehicle stop; and K-9 Atlas and Officer Mahlen, who made their debut at last year's event and absolutely charmed all who got to meet him.
We hope you'll join us for our 10th annual Operation K-9 on Thursday, Aug. 1, 4:30-8 p.m. New location - the field next to Wessman Arena, 2701 Catlin Avenue in Superior. It's free to attend and all are welcome!

Ten more days until our 10th annual Operation K-9. Here's another "new to us" K-9 team that we're excited will be joining us: Hibbing Police K-9 Dottie and Officer Dillinger. This team has been working together for two years, and with Hibbing PD now part of the Foundation, this will be our first chance to see this talented black lab in action.
We hope you'll join us! Operation K-9 is Thursday, August 1, 4:30-8 p.m.
Free to attend with fun for all ages!
New location - former UWS track next to Wessman Arena, 2701 Catlin Avenue, Superior.

We know the main reason people come to Operation K-9 is the dogs. But here are a couple of the people who keep it fun and interesting.
Superior Police Sgt. Nick Eastman and Capt. Jeff Harriman - both former K-9 handlers themselves - did a great job last year as emcees, and we're so excited they're willing to come back and do it again!
Join us (and them) at the 10th annual Operation K-9. It's free to attend and will feature K-9 demonstrations and other family friendly activities.
Thursday, August 1, 4:30-8 p.m. 2701 Catlin Avenue, Superior (note this is a new location - it's the old UWS track next to Wessman Arena.)

We're excited that two longtime favorites will again be joining us for Operation K-9 this year. That's Hermantown Police K-9 Jack and Sgt. Pernu, and K-9 Tuuko and Sgt. Pfeiffer.
Whether they're demonstrating their considerable talents or smiling for pictures with their youngest fans, these two teams are always one of the reasons Operation K-9 is such a fun event.
We hope you'll join us! Thursday, August 1, 4:30-8 p.m.
New location: 2701 Catlin Avenue in Superior. It's the old UWS track next to Wessman Arena.

Operation K-9 is two weeks from tonight! Here's our news release with full details of what's planned:https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MNSTLOUIS/2024/07/12/file_attachments/2936212/Operation%20K9%202024%20news%20release.pdf

Who's a fan of Eveleth Police K-9 Bear? The Eveleth Police Department just joined our Foundation, which means this will be K-9 Bear and Sgt. Elias's first appearance at Operation K-9. This awesome duo has been working together for years and we're excited to see them in action.
They'll be among nearly 20 K-9 teams at our Operation K-9 event: Thursday, August 1, 4:30-8 p.m. New location: 2701 Catlin Avenue in Superior (it's the old UWS track next to Wessman Arena.) Join us!

Want to meet the awesome K-9 teams from the Duluth Police Department? They'll be at Operation K-9 demonstrating their talents and posing for photos.
The DPD currently has four K-9 teams, including:
Officer Aubart and K-9 Vili
Officer O'Connor and K-9 Kallie
Investigator Stutsman and K-9 Maverick
Officer Abbott and K-9 Gus

This will be K-9 Gus's first appearance at Operation K-9 and we can't wait to meet him!
Join us Thursday, August 1, 4:30-8 p.m. for our 10th annual event. New location: the grassy area outside Wessman Arena, 2701 Catlin Avenue, Superior.

As we get closer to Operation K-9, we're going to be previewing some of the K-9 teams you'll be able to meet and see in action. That includes the Douglas County Sheriff's Office:
K-9 Talon and Deputy Witt
K-9 Sam and Deputy Fossum
K-9 Kip and Deputy McIntosh

Fun facts: K-9 Talon is the longest serving K-9 in all the agencies we serve, and K-9 Kip will be making his very first appearance. We can't wait!!

Join us for our 10th annual Operation K-9. August 1, 4:30-8 p.m.
New location - former UWS track next to Wessman Arena, 2701 Catlin Avenue, Superior.

Who's excited for Operation K-9? Our 10th annual event is happening Thursday, Aug. 1, 4:30-8 p.m. Here are the top things to know:
*New location! We'll be at the old UWS track next to Wessman Arena in Superior
*More dogs than ever before! We'll have K-9 teams from all eight agencies we serve. Potentially 19 K-9s! (Due to the nature of the work they do, there's always a chance some will be called away to for work.)
*Free to attend. (Though bring your cash/credit card. We'll have food, K-9 themed souvenirs and a silent auction.)
*We'll have K-9 demos and opportunity to meet and take photos with the dogs
*Lots of other fun, family-friendly activities.

Answers to the questions we get asked most:
Are pets allowed? Sorry, no. For the safety of all, no dogs or other pets are permitted.
Should you bring lawn chairs? Nope. We'll have bleachers for seating.
Do you accept credit cards? Yes, we do.
Is there a schedule of events planned? We have an approximate schedule, but it's loose at best as it is difficult to predict how long any particular K-9 demonstration will last.

Lots of exciting news to share today! Thanks to the generosity of so many of you, our Foundation is able to continue to grow and support more law enforcement agencies with K-9 teams. Welcome to the Hibbing and Eveleth Police Departments!
Shown here are Hibbing Police K-9 Dottie and Officer Dillinger, and Eveleth Police K-9 Bear and Sgt. Elias.
Also - Operation K-9 is three weeks from today! Join us August 1 for our biggest and best event yet. It'll be your chance to see nearly 20 K-9 teams from all eight agencies that we now support!

Here's the full news release regarding our growing Foundation if you'd like to read more:https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MNSTLOUIS/2024/07/11/file_attachments/2934498/News%20release%20-%20Eveleth%20and%20Hibbing%20PDs%20join%20K9%20Foundation.pdf

We are more than a little heartbroken to share the news of the passing of retired St. Louis County Sheriff's K-9 Louie. Louie was 11 and had been in deteriorating health. He and partner/dad Tim Officer both retired in 2021, and we take comfort that Louie enjoyed almost three years of retirement.
Louie was an amazing K-9 and it was always a joy seeing the incredible connection between him and Tim. Together they caught a lot of bad guys, found important evidence, removed drugs from our community, and - our forever favorite feel-good story - found a missing little boy who'd wandered into the woods and gotten lost.
Our thoughts are with the Officer family as they grieve Louie, who was a work partner for many years, and family member even longer. Take comfort in the memories. We are trying to do so, too.

As an aside, it's a reality we should have seen coming because dogs never live as long as we wish they would. Louie was one of three K-9s our Foundation helped fund our very first year. Of those three, he lived the longest. He now joins Superior Police K-9 Marik and St. Louis County Sheriff's K-9 Diesel chasing tennis balls and chewing on Kongs, because we have to believe where they're at now, there are no bad guys.

Atta boy, K9 Gus and Officer Abbott!

At approximately 1:40 a.m., Monday, June 24, Duluth Police responded to a report of a burglary in progress in the 1900 block of E 8th St. Upon arrival, a male, later identified as 34-year-old Duluth resident Shane Anderson, was located attempting to gain entrance into a business. Anderson fled the scene on a stolen bicycle and then continued to flee on foot in the 1900 block of South St where a short foot pursuit ensued.

Officer Abbott deployed K9 Gus as Anderson continued to flee on foot into a wooded area. Anderson continued to be non-complaint and K9 Gus located him in the 400 block of S 19th Ave E. Anderson was detained and transported to a local hospital for injuries sustained during the apprehension.

Anderson will be lodged at the St. Louis County Jail for pending charges of Attempted 3rd Degree Burglary, Felony Possession of Stolen Property, Misdemeanor Fleeing Law Enforcement, and Misdemeanor Obstruction.

Good work to all the officers involved, especially K9 Gus, for locating Anderson and holding him accountable for his actions!

Huge thanks to for donating protective vests for Douglas County Sheriff's K-9 Kip (at left with Deputy McIntosh) and Superior Police K-9 Atlas (with Officer Mahlen).
Spike’s Fund ia a non-profit that raises funds to purchase K9 Storm ballistic vests. These high quality vests provide both ballistic and stab protection, and are designed to not cause a dog to overheat, making them more comfortable to wear.
We appreciate their generosity to help K-9 Kip and K-9 Atlas be safer on the job!

Mark your calendars! Thursday, August 1, is our 10th annual Operation K-9, and we're celebrating by making it bigger and better than ever!
More K-9s from more agencies, and at a new location - the old track outside Wessman Arena.

Atta boy, K-9 Thor!
Early this morning, Hibbing Police pulled over a driver for multiple infractions, but the man immediately fled on foot. Officers set up a perimeter and called for K-9 assistance. St. Louis County Sheriff's K-9 Thor and Deputy Thorne responded (from 40 miles away, so factor in that some time passed before they began tracking.)
But K-9 Thor immediately picked up a scent, headed down an alley, circled a residence and went directly to the back porch.
Officers ultimately got a search warrant and found the suspect hiding inside. He had multiple outstanding felony warrants, but was taken into custody without further incident.
Great teamwork and cooperation between agencies!

Look at that smile on K-9 Vili's face. He knows he did a good job!
Congratulations to Duluth Police K-9 Vili and Officer Aubart. During their recent annual certification trials, they placed 3rd overall in the test for Criminal Apprehension w/o gunfire.
We are very thankful to have such talented K-9 teams serving our community!

We're excited to welcome K9 Gus and Officer Nate Abbott to the K9 Foundation!

Here's a fun look back! Our first Operation K-9 event was 10 years ago today. It was the year it stormed and we had to move everything inside AMSOIL's warehouse.
But from that small but enthusiastic beginning, we have continued to grow. We are so thankful for all of you who have continued to support us and area law enforcement K-9 teams.
It's more than a little sad to realize none of these talented dogs are still with us. But we are extremely excited to share that we are busy planning for the biggest Operation K-9 event yet. Watch for an announcement coming soon! It'll be a nod to the future with more K-9s and agencies involved than ever before, while also remembering the many K-9 teams who've served our communities during the past decade.
Happy 10th anniversary to everyone who has helped us over the years!

Nice job Maverick and Investigator Stutsman for this incredible seizure!

While conducting an ongoing investigation into an incident that occurred in 2024, Investigator Stutsman and K9 Maverick with the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force seized a USPS package with more than three pounds of methamphetamine in it. This package was encased in spray foam and lined with masking agents to prevent K9 detection.
Good work to both Investigator Stutsman and K9 Maverick for following through on this incident and seizing this package!

We hope everyone visiting the Duluth Air Show is having a great time. Duluth Police K-9 Kallie and Officer O’Connor are working to ensure a safe experience for attendees. They’re making friends at the same time. Thanks to Duluth East cheerleaders for helping out at the event!

Who wants to see Virginia Police K-9 Teddy in action? He and Officer Grivna will be demonstrating how they work together during Kids, Cops & Cars event - happening this evening from 4-7 pm at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.

On this Law Enforcement Memorial Day, we remember and honor K-9 Haas and K-9 Luna. Through their service, they protected our communities, their handler, and other responders on scene; and we will never forget their sacrifice.

When the protective vest picks up that many cockleburs, you have to know this was an intense track!
Over the weekend, officers were searching for a suspect in a felony domestic assault case. They stopped a car outside the home where the suspect was known to be living, and the occupant took off running. St. Louis County Sheriff's K-9 Ranger and Deputy Kuhnly were called in to help search.
There were numerous outbuildings and vehicles on this property and K-9 Ranger sniffed around them all before finally locating a person hiding under the rear of a truck.
That person revealed the primary suspect had also been in the vehicle and had fled into the woods.
K-9 Ranger and Deputy Kuhnly continued searching, while additional officers from Hermantown PD and the Duluth Police Drone Unit were called to assist.
Officers then learned the suspect was at another nearby address. Deputy Kuhnly called out warnings that K-9 Ranger was going to be released but got no response. As K-9 Ranger was sent into the garage to begin searching, the suspect had a quick change of heart, calling out that they were surrendering to avoid being bitten.
With K-9 Ranger keeping close watch, the suspect was taken into custody without further incident.
Outstanding teamwork and great job by K-9 Ranger leading to the arrest of a violent individual with no injuries to any of the officers!

Pics from the St Louis County Sheriff’s Citizens Academy. If you haven’t already liked their page, go check it out. They’ve also posted videos of each of these K-9s during the class.

We are very excited to introduce you to the newest K-9 team serving our region. Welcome (and congratulations!) to Douglas County Sheriff’s K-9 Kip and Deputy McIntosh who just graduated from training.
K-9 Kip is certified to work patrol, meaning he’s trained in criminal apprehension, narcotics detection, evidence search, tracking and obedience. K-9 Kip is from the Czech Republic and was very generously donated to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office by McDonough K9, a company that works with several of the agencies we serve to purchase and train law enforcement K-9s.
K-9 Kip is just over a year and a half old, and absolutely is as alert and high energy as he appears in these photos. He and Deputy McIntosh will be starting together on patrol in the coming days and we can’t wait to see all that they’ll accomplish together in the coming years.