Our Work with OPK9
Introduction
Point-of-Injury Care for Working Dogs
Working dogs get hurt in the field. When a dog goes down on a deployment, apprehension, or a search, the handler is often the only one there in the critical first minutes—and most handlers have never been trained on what to do. Leerburg has partnered with Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin (OPK9) to change that by putting real veterinary emergency expertise directly in front of handlers and EMS personnel.
OPK9 is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit founded by veterinary emergency and critical care professionals. Their mission is simple: teach the handlers, first responders, and EMS teams who are actually on scene how to stabilize an injured K9 before they ever reach a clinic.
The OPK9 Medical Team is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-partisan organization. EIN: 85-2889046
Who Is OPK9
A Team Built on Veterinary Emergency Expertise
Operational K9 Medical Team of Wisconsin was founded by veterinary emergency and critical care specialists who saw a gap: K9 handlers are trained to deploy their dogs, but rarely trained to save them when something goes wrong in the field. OPK9 closes that gap by traveling throughout Wisconsin to teach point-of-injury care directly to K9 handlers and EMS personnel.
What OPK9 focuses on:
- Point-of-injury stabilization for K9s experiencing a traumatic event
- Hands-on education for law enforcement K9 handlers, search and rescue handlers, firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, and other first responders who would be present for Operational K9 emergencies in the field.
- Toxin exposure and other field emergencies specific to working dogs
- Building a bridge between veterinary emergency medicine and the K9 handler community
The organization's founders are also co-founders of the National Association of Veterinary Emergency Medical Services (NAVEMS), and are active members of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association, the Wisconsin Practice Manager Association, and the Wisconsin Veterinary Technician Association.
Why Leerburg Partners with OPK9
Credentialed, Field-Tested, Handler-Focused
OPK9's team isn't made up of hobbyists—it's led by board-certified veterinary specialists with decades of combined clinical, educator, and administrative experience, several of whom hold diplomate status in emergency and critical care or anesthesiology. That expertise is paired with real field experience: instructors who are also firefighters, paramedics, SWAT medics, and K9 handlers themselves.
What sets OPK9 apart:
Specialist-led curriculum. Classes are built and taught by Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care and the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia—not general practice volunteers.
Built for handlers, not just vets. The training is designed to be usable by the person actually standing next to the dog at the point of injury, whether that's a K9 handler, a firefighter, or an EMT.
Statewide reach. OPK9 travels throughout Wisconsin to deliver this education in person, rather than requiring handlers to come to them.
Leerburg is helping extend that reach beyond Wisconsin by filming OPK9's classes and making the content available online—starting with the free Troublesome Toxins class already live on Leerburg.com.
Meet the Team
Lisa J. Converse, DVM, DACVECC — President and Medical Director
Dr. Converse is a veterinary emergency and critical care specialist with more than 25 years of clinical, educator, and administrative experience, including practice ownership, medical director, residency director, clinical instructor, and volunteer veterinarian roles. She is a founding member of OPK9 and currently travels throughout Wisconsin educating K9 handlers and EMS personnel on point-of-injury care. She was also a co-founding member of the National Association of Veterinary Emergency Medical Services (NAVEMS) and has served on multiple nonprofit boards focused on suicide prevention and veterinary hospice. Dr. Converse presently works as a Locum Clinical Instructor in veterinary emergency and critical care at multiple colleges of veterinary medicine nationally. She earned her DVM from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.
Lyn Schuh, CVT — VP/Operations Director
Lyn brings more than 25 years of clinical, veterinary practice management, and educator experience in primary and emergency veterinary care, along with roles as a veterinary relations representative and operations director. She is a member of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA), the Wisconsin Practice Manager Association (WVPMA), the Wisconsin Veterinary Technician Association (WVTA), and NAVEMS, and sits on the Veterinary Examining Board. As a founding member of OPK9, Lyn serves as operations director and board member, scheduling, coordinating, and co-teaching all of OPK9's point-of-injury care sessions for K9 handlers and EMS personnel. She earned her veterinary technician degree from Madison Area Technical College.
Becky Johnson, DVM, DACVAA — Education Director
Dr. Johnson is board certified in Veterinary Anesthesiology and Pain Management and serves as a Research Anesthesiologist and Clinical Professor of Anesthesia and Pain Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. Her more than 20 years of clinical, education, and research experience focuses on the respiratory and gastrointestinal effects of opioid and non-opioid analgesics in companion animals. She joined OPK9 as a volunteer educator in 2021. Dr. Johnson earned her DVM from Ohio State University and completed her anesthesia residency, MS, and PhD at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Ella Peters
Ella has been volunteering with OPK9 since she was a toddler. She's currently in college majoring in occupational therapy and American Sign Language, and works as a certified nurse assistant and EMT in Minnesota. When she's not volunteering, Ella enjoys spending time with her dog, Breckenridge, photography, and traveling.
Todd Konradi
Todd has been a first responder for more than 20 years and currently works as a firefighter/paramedic and SWAT medic in Northwest Indiana. He also works part-time as a veterinary assistant at a local 24-hour emergency vet clinic, where he applies his human medical skills to canine patients. He regularly travels from Indiana to Wisconsin to volunteer his time with OPK9.
Matt Haerter
Matt and his K9, Tesla, worked together since 2019, logging thousands of interactions as one of the only sworn therapy K9 teams in the state, assisting first responders and civilians in crisis.
More
OP K9 is powered by a group of dedicated individuals who share a common passion for animals and the welfare of Operational K9s.
Meet the K9 Teachers
Stig
Stig is a Belgian Malinois owned by Lyn Schuh. He initially washed out of "cop" school, then spent time as a service dog with Got Your Six K9's before joining OPK9 in 2019. He's a fantastic volunteer who's always up for snuggles, food, and a ball.
Breckenridge (Breck)
Breck is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owned by Ella Peters. He's been teaching with OPK9 since he was very young, loves food and sleeping, and—despite his small size—is one of the team's most popular teaching dogs.
Poppy
Poppy is a young Great Pyrenees mix owned by Becky Johnson. She's been teaching since she was a puppy, has a silly personality, and loves playing with toys and getting her snacks.
Training & Resources
Free Training, Available Now
OPK9's Troublesome Toxins class—covering how to protect your dog from dangerous toxins in the field—is available free on Leerburg.com.
This lecture was filmed in Green Bay on November 20, 2024. This video is of the one-hour lecture on troublesome toxins, K9 drug overdose, point of injury, and prehospital care for Operational K9 Handlers.
Important note: This lecture was accidentally filmed in a video format called Hyperlapse which took 15-minute chunks of video and compressed it into a 1-minute hyperlapse video. This video has been edited using AI to recover missing frames in this slowed down version of the video. The good news is that the audio was internally recorded to the mic and was fully recovered.
Coming Soon: K9 Prehospital Stabilization
Leerburg filmed OPK9's K9 Prehospital Stabilization Class in July 2026, and it's currently being produced into a streaming video and online course. Check back for availability. The K9 Point of Injury Care & Prehospital Stabilization course provides basic information on caring for operational K9s at the point of injury. This course combines a didactic lecture and hands-on instruction with live dogs, making it a comprehensive educational experience. This course is a prerequisite for all other OPK9 courses.
Coming This Fall
Leerburg will be carrying a select line of OPK9 products this fall. Check back here or subscribe for updates as these become available.
