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Meet K9 Aseni: The Meskwaki Nation’s New K9 Team
The Meskwaki Nation Police Department has a new officer on patrol, and he walks on four legs. K9 Aseni is now working alongside Officer Logan Ludovissy, bringing trained support in detection and patrol work. For many people in the community, having a K9 team available again is a welcome resource for the department.
When Officer Ludovissy joined the department in 2023, there wasn’t an active K9 unit. He stepped up to help bring the program back and volunteered to become the handler. After more than two years of preparation and training, the department now has a certified dual-purpose team: Logan and Aseni.
Meet Aseni
Aseni (pronounced Ah-sen) is a German Shepherd imported from Slovakia. He has a dark sable coat and comes from working lines bred for police and service work.
Aseni was matched to Officer Ludovissy through the training school rather than being personally chosen. Trainers evaluated both the dogs and the handler to make sure the pairing made sense for long-term work. Once training started, the team clicked quickly. Ludovissy said the trainers “picked my perfect dog.”
Aseni was born on May 15, 2024. He completed an intensive 13-week training program totaling more than 500 hours. That training included certification work and real-life scenarios designed to prepare him for duty.
What Aseni Is Trained to Do
Aseni is a dual-purpose K9, meaning he’s trained in both patrol work and narcotics detection. That makes him useful in a wide range of situations.
Aseni is trained to detect hard narcotics only, including methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl.
He does not alert to marijuana.
He can search vehicles, buildings, and outdoor areas. He’s also trained for “article searches,” which means he can locate narcotics or related items that may be hidden or thrown from a vehicle during a pursuit.
Aseni can track human odor and disturbance through vegetation. This skill can be especially helpful in locating missing people, including children or elders, when quick, accurate searching is needed.
Aseni is also trained in apprehension work. Officer Ludovissy is clear that Aseni is not trained to “attack.”
“He’s not trained to attack,” Ludovissy said. “He’s trained to apprehend when needed and release on command.”
Aseni uses a bite-and-hold method with his back molars, applying pressure instead of tearing. The goal is officer safety and control, not injury.
Early Success
Aseni didn’t take long to show why K9 teams matter.
Soon after completing training, he was used during a vehicle pursuit where a suspect threw narcotics from the vehicle before crashing. Officers suspected the drugs were tossed, but the area and distance made recovery difficult. Aseni was deployed and tracked the scent, locating the narcotics nearly a mile away in a ditch.
Officers recovered approximately one-and-a-half to two ounces of crystal methamphetamine. It’s the kind of find that would be hard to make without a trained K9.
Why a K9 Makes a Difference
A K9’s biggest advantage is its nose.
Officer Ludovissy explains it using a simple example: if a person smells pizza, they just smell “pizza.” But a dog can smell the different parts—cheese, sauce, crust, toppings—separately.
“Humans smell one thing,” he said, “but a dog can smell every ingredient.”
That ability helps Aseni find narcotics even in places where there are many other smells around. A trained K9 can work through clutter, traffic stops, outdoor terrain, and busy scenes in a way that supports officers and speeds up searches.
Aseni’s Name
Officer Ludovissy wanted a name connected to the community. He reached out to a community member and his grandmother for help choosing a Meskwaki-language name that would work well for a K9, short, clear, and meaningful.
They chose Aseni, which translates to “the rock” or “the stone.”
Looking Ahead
Aseni is still very young, and Officer Ludovici says a big part of the work right now is continuing to build experience and confidence as a team. While Aseni is already certified and working on cases, he’s still growing and learning what it means to handle different environments, especially large crowds and busy public settings.
As he gets older and more mature, the goal is for Aseni to be out in the community more. Officer Ludovissy hopes that over time, people will see Aseni at powwows and other events in a positive way, so community members can meet him, learn about the K9 program, and get comfortable around a working police dog.
A New K9 Team on Patrol
K9 Aseni adds a skilled, reliable resource to the Meskwaki Nation Police Department—one that supports officers in the field and strengthens the department’s ability to serve the community. With continued training, responsible use, and strong handler control, the K9 program is built to last. Aseni isn’t just a new addition to the department; he’s a working partner and an investment in public safety.