The K9 Connection

The four newest dogs in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ K9 Unit have had a busy year. Jet found a missing person and located shell casings that were key pieces of evidence in hunting cases. Trapper sniffed out evidence from a carjacking and located a poacher’s rifle. Cora led officers to three dead deer and a shell casing that helped prove they’d been shot illegally. Axel found numerous shotgun shells used by poachers and helped the Red Lake Nation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation find a firearm in a homicide case. The dogs also conducted hundreds of aquatic invasive species checks throughout the state, detecting threats such as zebra mussels.

These dogs and their conservation officer handlers joined the K9 Unit a year ago, doubling the size of the unit to eight dog-handler teams. The expansion has improved statewide K9 coverage and increased the DNR Enforcement Division’s effectiveness in protecting Minnesota’s people and natural resources.

“The dogs not only augment and enhance the work of our conservation officers, but they’re also able to find items that humans might never be able to locate,” says Captain Phil Mohs, leader of the K9 Unit. “And people really connect with dogs, so they’re important ambassadors for the DNR and the work we do.”

K9 Jet is stationed with CO Cassie Block in Two Harbors, K9 Trapper with CO Annette Schlag in Rochester, K9 Cora with CO Dustin Roemeling in Worthington, and K9 Axel with CO Jake Swedberg in Detroit Lakes. The dogs and their handlers completed several months of intensive training in May 2025 before becoming certified as working law enforcement canines. The entire unit trains together 16 hours per month, and each handler and their dog trains every day.

All the dog-handler teams work at the intersection of natural resources and traditional law enforcement, assisting other agencies when they need canine support.

With eight teams around the state, and more on the way, the DNR’s K9 Unit is providing broader geographic coverage and faster, more efficient response time in natural resource and public safety cases. In addition, says Mohs, the expanded unit is strengthening already strong partnerships between local, state, and tribal agencies while also increasing the Enforcement Division’s ability to meet its core mission of protecting Minnesota’s people and natural resources.

“These new dogs and their handlers,” he says, “have quickly become indispensable parts of the team.”