The Oak Creek Police Department has a 'goofy' new K-9 who 'wants to work all the time,' according to his handler

Oak Creek Police Officer Dawn Hanizeski’s partner retired in June 2021.

While he no longer comes to work, she still sees him every day at home.

Now, Hanizeski has a new patrol companion that looks a lot like her previous partner, but has his own unique personality.

“They are two completely different dogs," Hanizeski said. "He just wants to work all the time."

Hanizeski, one of three K-9 handlers at the Oak Creek Police Department, took an October trip to Southern Police Canine in North Carolina, where she met and trained with K-9 Kuiper, a Malinois Shepherd mix.

“We’ve gotten almost all the dogs from the history of the K-9 program (in Oak Creek) from that particular facility,” Hanizeski said.

Kuiper, who was born Sept. 20, 2020, in Hungary, officially started his tour of duty for the Oak Creek Police Department in mid-November 2021. He is a dual-purpose dog for OCPD as he is trained to locate narcotics and do patrol work, including searching for suspects and missing persons in different environments.

Kuiper is stepping in for K-9 Nox, a German shepherd, who came from the Netherlands and stood with Hanizeski for eight years until his honorable discharge from duty last June. While with Nox, Hanizeski won the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handler Association K9 Track of the Year in 2019 and first place in the K9 Narcotics Detection challenge in 2017.

“Nox is enjoying retirement immensely,” Hanizeski said, adding he is healthy and likes lying around. Nox was laid back while he was an active member of OCPD and had no issues switching from going to work and going home.

But it's a different story with Hanizeski's new partner.

“That’s not the way Kuiper is,” Hanizeski said. “Hyper Kuiper has a playful personality and just wants to work all the time. He likes everyone and wants to play with everyone."

Hanizeski said it’s a common misconception that police dogs are mean since they are often just seen in action with a gravelly growl and teeth bared.

“They’re not (mean); they all have unique personalities,” she said. “They apprehend because we tell them to.”

If Hanizeski could describe Kuiper in one word it would be “goofy.”

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One similarity both police dogs share is their working language: Dutch. Police dogs are trained to respond to commands in a different language than the dominant tongue of the area in which they serve so they can hear commands and respond even in a hectic situation with multiple people yelling.

The common language has helped Hanizeski adjust, but she said it takes getting used to a new K-9 when you’ve worked with one dog for so long.

“I had to go in with fresh eyes,” she said. “You can’t talk to a dog, so you have to learn a whole set of mannerisms. Nox was intricate in how he searched every nook and cranny, where Kuiper blazes past stuff.”

The Oak Creek Police Department now has a dog for every shift with K-9 Kuiper, K-9 Revi (a Dutch Shepherd with Officer Nicole Raffini) and K-9 Stanley (a Belgian Malinois with Officer Mike Musa). Community support has been strong for the K-9 program, with all three current canines purchased through donations alone.

Kuiper cost about $14,000, according to Hanizeski. His kennel's concrete slab was donated by Victory Outdoor Services.

The life of a K-9 handler

Hanizeski, who went to college as a biology major, learned “chemistry wouldn’t fly” for her, and she switched to criminal justice. She wanted to work with animals, so becoming a K-9 handler became her No. 1 goal.

“It’s a ton of extra work and a huge commitment,” Hanizeski said. “You do some training with the dog every day. It’s a lot of extra training, frustration, a lot of extra work you don’t necessarily realize.”

For the last decade, she has planned her vacations around training sessions. Typically, there are two eight-hour blocks each month and training conferences in May and October.

“Some will say they want to be a K-9 handler, but you start from the bottom and work your way up,” she said, adding that she was a patrol officer for five years at OCPD before she was partnered with her first furry friend. “It takes a lot of dedication and self-motivation.”

The role is also very “self-rewarding,” she said, expressing it’s “the best feeling” when her partner finds whoever or whatever they were sent to get.

Contact Erik S. Hanley at (262) 875-9467 or erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter at @ES_Hanley.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Oak Creek Police Department's new K-9 is 'goofy'