WAUTOMA, Wis. — Summer is winding down, so it won't be long before students, teachers and faculty members return to the classroom.
Some students in Wautoma, Wisconsin will have an additional friendly — and furry — face added to their class this school year.
Grizz, the K-9 partner of fallen Chetek Police Officer Emily Breidenbach, is assigned to the school resource officer at Parkside School in Wautoma. On Wednesday, the pup took a tour of the school to visit the classrooms he'll be patrolling throughout the school year.
Grizz worked alongside Officer Breidenbach until she was killed in the line of duty back in April while conducting a traffic stop. Grizz was taken in by Blueberry Cottage Labradoodles, a western Wisconsin pet service, and joined the Wautoma Police Department as a therapy dog. He'll now work as a school resource officer at Parkside.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), Breidenbach and Cameron police officer Hunter Scheel pulled over a vehicle on April 8, 2023, knowing that the driver of the SUV was wanted on a warrant for failing to pay child support. Authorities said 50-year-old Glenn Douglas Perry also exhibited concerning behavior following a contentious divorce.
During an encounter on the side of County Road SS near the intersection with Highway 8, Perry fatally shot the 32-year-old Breidenbach and the 23-year-old Scheel. The suspect was also hit by gunfire and died later at a local hospital.
According to a post by Blueberry Cottage Labradoodles, Grizz was with Breidenbach in her final moments.
The community responded with several events to honor Breidenbach and Scheel, including a vigil where thousands of people gathered to pay tribute to the two fallen officers.
