Brown County Sheriff's Office. (IMAGE: Courtesy of Fox 11 WLUK)
BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain is speaking out in response to “recent public misinformation and inaccurate media reports” suggesting a sheriff’s deputy and his longtime K9 partner were separated without explanation.
On Friday, a local source published an article saying Deputy Beau Berger “is searching for answers” after Dorian, his K9 partner of four years, “was taken from him for reasons he doesn’t know.”
But Delain disputed those claims in a 2.5-page letter sent to the media Monday.
Click here to read the letter.
“There has been considerable misinformation recently related to our K-9 Unit, specifically about K-9 Dorian and his handler. I want to not only share the facts behind this critical component of our public safety operations, but to this current situation specifically,” Delain wrote.
Dorian, a six-year-old Belgian Malinois, is a member of the K9 Unit and Bomb Squad. Delain acknowledged that K9s and handlers work together every day and that the bond between the pair is strong, but he says it’s important to remember the K9s are “resources of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office – and you, the taxpayers. They are not personally owned by the handlers.”
According to the letter, Dorian’s handler met with Delain in mid-April, at which point the handler asked to purchase Dorian, or have another law enforcement agency purchase the dog, so he and his K9 partner could could work together at a different agency. Delain informed the handler that Dorian was not for sale.
On May 6, Dorian’s handler accepted a job as a deputy at another agency, beginning June 23. Three days earlier, on May 3, he went on paternity leave “with a scheduled return date well beyond June 23.”
At the time the handler made the decision to accept employment with another agency, it was clear to everyone that K9 Dorian would remain in Brown County, transition to a new handler, and continue to do what Dorian was trained for and loves to do, which is “find” and “detect”.
Delain says the sheriff’s office began making plans to transition Dorian from his current handler to a new partner following the current handler’s decision to accept a new position.
“It is important to know that Brown County has very successfully transitioned K9s from one handler to another numerous times in the past. It was the goal of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office to make this transition smooth for everyone involved,” Delain said.
The sheriff’s office repeatedly attempted to get in contact with Dorian’s handler so they could take custody of the K9, allowing for him to be medically examined and turner over to a new handler, but Delain says they were ignored.
Arrangements were made through the handler’s labor union for “a mutually agreed upon date and time for Dorian to be picked up from the handler’s house.
“The pick-up of Dorian and squad car occurred at his house because the handler was on a federally protected leave of absence,” Delain said. “On Friday, May 30, 2025, at 1 p.m., our deputies arrived and were met by a TV news camera. Later that evening, a story was published that included misinformation that spread from there.”
Delain said further public misinformation and false media reports alleged Dorian is “sick and in pain” due to a “serious medical condition”, with people asking he be retired and a new K9 be purchased by the sheriff’s office.
However, Dorian’s longtime veterinarian examined him May 29 and did not find “any serious medical condition, illness, or injury that would preclude him from continuing to perform his duties or that would require retirement… [The veterinarian said] Dorian is in his ‘prime’ and is expected to perform his duties proficiently for many years to come.”
Previous reports from another source say community members offered $20,000 to the Brown County Sheriff’s Office to help keep Dorian with his handler. However, Delain says it’s not that easy.
“This is not as simple as accepting money to purchase another K9. The acquisition of a police K-9 involves an extensive selection process and training that takes months to complete to secure all the proper certifications. I owe it to the citizens of Brown County to do what is right for public safety. Brown County K-9s are not for sale, will not be part of a new employment deal,” Delain said.
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