OZ Lifting Continues K9 Police Dog Program

Winona, Minnesota-based OZ Lifting Products LLC has funded another police dog, as its OZ canine donation program continues to positively impact local communities and law enforcement.

The manufacturer of davit cranes and industrial lifting equipment is committed to funding training for a new police dog every year. Having placed dogs at the City of New Hampton and Pleasant Hill Police Departments, the latest animal is bound for the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, Buffalo County, Wisconsin.

Trace Erickson, a former law enforcement officer, leads 12-week training programs; he even utilizes an out-building on the property of OZ Lifting’s facility. As part of the agreement, OZ Lifting-funded dogs that pass through Erickson’s program will have ‘OZ’ somewhere in their name. Ozzy, a German shorthair pointer, will be trained with handler, Deputy Joslin Carothers, this spring.

Deputy Joslin Carothers with Ozzy, the third dog to be donated through OZ Lifting’s canine donation program.

Interestingly, Deputy Carothers was specifically looking for a non-biting K9. The Sheriff’s Department is located on the Mississippi River, surrounded by bluffland, where it is not uncommon for hunters or hikers to go missing or get lost. Ozzy will also need to be able to interact with children and elderly people, after special passive signaling and non-aggression training.

Erickson will tailor the training program to focus on detection and patrol support. Special attention will be given to drug detection in addition to search and rescue. Such dogs can cover wide areas quickly, with more accuracy than their human counterparts. Search and rescue operations could require Ozzy to help find elderly members of the public with Alzheimer’s or dementia, lost hunters, hikers, fishermen, children, and special needs individuals. The K9 will be trained by signaling with passive alerts (e.g., laying down), rather than biting or making physical contact with the subject; this is different to bite-apprehension-trained dogs, like Ozzy’s predecessors on the program.

Steve Napieralski, president at OZ Lifting, said: “Each K9 that gets allocated to an officer represents a landmark for the program. When I first spoke to Trace, having met through our local YMCA, I was immediately enthused about backing such a meaningful concept that will benefit local communities. However, it has already exceeded our expectations. The response from both the community and the industry has been overwhelmingly positive, which tells us we tapped into something that truly matters to a lot of people.”

Pictured (left to right): Jane Napieralski, Steve Napieralski, Deputy Joslin Carothers, Ozzy, and Trace Erickson.

Deputy Carothers and Ozzy will cover an area of 710 square miles with a population of 13,000 people. Buffalo County was selected based on need. It’s a large geographic area with limited staffing, and in many cases there are only two officers on duty at a time. Adding a K9 unit significantly strengthens their capabilities and overall safety, making this a situation where the impact will be felt immediately and long-term.

• If there is a police department in another city looking for a dog, they are invited to send a written request outlining how they will use the animal in their community.