K-9 Unit
Officer Nate Lech & Nitro
Officer Lech has been a Dubuque Police Officer since May 2017. Officer Lech had previously served as a Patrol Officer and is a member of various department teams including: Marksman & Observer, Crisis Intervention, Peer Support, and City Council Security Detail. Officer Lech is also a Field Training Officer, Rapid Deployment Instructor, and previously served as a facilitator with City of Dubuque Intercultural Facilitation Team. Officer Lech and his partner Nitro have been a K9 unit since January of 2022.
Nitro is a German Shepherd Dog born in the Czech Republic in March 2018. Nitro was purchased by the Dubuque Police Department in 2019 through Jessifany Canine Services in Iron Ridge, WI, where he was trained as a dual-purpose explosive detection dog. Nitro had served with the Dubuque Police Department under a previous handler and has assisted with crime scene investigation, bomb threat response, civil patrol apprehensions, and large event explosive sniffs.
Officer Lech and Nitro are currently certified through Jessiffany Canine Services and the American Police K9 Association for explosive detection and patrol.
Officer Carter Meyer & Axel
Officer Meyer has been a Dubuque Police Officer since August of 2018. Officer Meyer previous served as a Patrol Officer and is a member of various department teams including Tactical Entry Team Operator and City Council Security Detail. Officer Meyer is also a Field Training Officer and a Precision Driving Instructor. Officer Meyer and his partner Axel have been a K9 unit since July of 2023.
Axel is a Dutch Shepard born in Hungary in January of 2022. Axel was purchased by the Dubuque Police Department through Jessifany Canine Services in Iron Ridge, WI, where he was trained as a dual-purpose narcotics detection dog. Axel has assisted in narcotics detection, civil patrol apprehensions, and tracking.
Officer Meyer and Axel are currently certified through Jessifany Canine Services and the American Police K9 Association for narcotics detection and patrol.
Officer Gary Pape & Zeke
Officer Pape has been a Dubuque Police Officer since January 2017. Officer Pape had previously served as a Patrol Officer and is a squad leader on the Tactical Entry Team. Officer Pape is also a Field Training Officer, Rapid Deployment Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Use of Force Instructor, Accuracy International Armorer, AR-15 Armorer, and Glock Armorer.
Officer Pape and his partner, Zeke, have been a K9 unit since August of 2024. Zeke is a Belgian Malinois born in Hungary in May of 2023. Zeke was purchased by the Dubuque Police Department in 2024 through Jessiffany Canine Services in Iron Ridge, WI, where he was trained as a dual-purpose narcotic detection dog.
Officer Pape and Zeke are currently certified through Jessiffany Canine Services and the American Police Canine Association for narcotic detection and patrol. Zeke’s patrol duties include narcotic detection, building searches, tracking, and suspect apprehension.
Special Thanks
The Dubuque Police Department would like to thank our community partners, PetMed Animal Hospital, the late Dr. John Haupert DVM, Theisen's Home-Farm-Auto, and K9s4Cops for their support.
2015 K9 Olympics Results
The Dubuque Police Department’s K9 Unit recently returned from the 2015 Vohne Liche Kennels & American Working Dog K9 Olympics in Denver, Indiana, again with numerous awards. One hundred-twenty K9 teams participated in the national event, including teams from the U.S. Department of Defense (Special Forces), Secret Service, and Marine Corps Forces Special Forces Operations Command. Awards were presented for only the top 3 places in each event.
Multi-purpose K9 “Brix” and handler Corporal Brian Wullweber received the following awards:
1st Place: Hogan’s Alley (suspect apprehension & narcotics detection event)
2nd Place: Open Area Narcotic Detection
3rd Place: Vehicle Narcotic Detection
3rd Place: Overall Narcotic Detection
2014 K9 Olympics Results
The Dubuque Police Department’s K9 Units recently returned from the 2014 Vohne Liche Kennels & American Working Dog K9 Olympics in Denver, Indiana, again with numerous awards. One hundred-thirty K9 teams participated in the national event, including teams from the U.S. Department of Defense (Special Forces). Awards were presented for only the top 3 places in each event.
Multi-purpose K9 “Brix” and handler Corporal Brian Wullweber received the following awards:
Brix 2014 K9 Olympics
1st Place: Obedience
1st Place: Area Search
1st Place: Decoy
2nd Place: Narcotic Warehouse Detection
2nd Place: Patrol Team
2nd Place: Overall Patrol Team
Single-purpose Explosives Detection K9 “Tiffany” and handler Officer Paul Avenarius received
3rd Place in the “Overall Patrol Team” event.
2013 K9 Olympics Results
The Dubuque Police Department’s K9 Units recently returned from the 2013 Vohne Liche Kennels & American Working Dog K9 Olympics, again with numerous awards.
Multi-purpose K9 “Brix” and handler Corporal Brian Wullweber received the following awards:
1st Place (104 K9 teams) in building searches
1st Place (52 K9 teams) in decoy event
1st Place (104 K9 teams) in individual patrol
1st Place in overall team patrol
2nd Place (94 K9 teams) in control (bite work & obedience)
5th Place (67 K9 teams) in 1.5 mile obstacle course
5th Place (76 K9 teams) in interior vehicle narcotics detection
9th Place (76 K9 teams) in narcotic building detection
9th Place (76 K9 teams) in overall narcotics detection
Single-purpose Bomb Detection K9 “Tiffany” and handler Officer Paul Avenarius received the following awards while competing against twenty-nine other teams:
2nd Place in luggage explosive search
3rd Place in open area explosive search
4th Place in interior vehicle explosive search
5th Place in warehouse explosive search
2013 Texas K9 Officers Conference & Trials
Corporal Wullweber and Brix recently (October 23-25, 2013) participated in the Texas K9 Officers Conference & Trials, sponsored by “K9’s4Cops”, the non-profit organization that provided Brix to the DPD. Entries were capped at 50 officers and their K9 partners. Cpl. Wullweber and Brix finished 1st in narcotics detection, 1st in the obstacle course, 1st in patrol, and the declaration of overall “Top Dog”.
2012 K9 Olympics Results
The 2012 American Working Dogs Inc. and Vohne Liche Kennels Seminar & Certification Trials (commonly referred to as the K9 Olympics) were held at Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Indiana on August 21st – 24th, 2012. Officer Wullweber and Brix participated with other K9 Units from across the country and world. Awards are presented to only the top three teams in each event and Brix returned home to Dubuque with more than any other participating team:
Overall Patrol: 1st out of 102
Control (bite work & obedience combined): 1st out of 97
Hard Dog (hardest hitting dog after 100 yard sprint): 1st out of 75
Fast Dog (fastest dog clocked on radar during 100 yard sprint): 1st out of 75
Obstacle Course (2 miles long with 22 obstacles): 2nd out of 81
Obedience: 3rd out of 102
Building Search: 3rd out of 98
Other notable achievements included finishing 19th out of 71 in Vehicle Detection; 29th out of 102 in Area Search; and 39th out of 101 in Hogan’s Alley (a scenario-based event that involves tactics, patrol & narcotic detection).