Rochester officer awarded for helping a man and his best friend find their new home

Mar. 29—ROCHESTER — When Rochester Police Officer Matt Venteicher found a blue-heeler pitbull roaming off leash along a retaining wall in Rochester in 2023, he thought the dog would be quite vicious.

But, it turns out “he was the nicest dog in the whole entire world,” Venteicher said.

The dog, named Niko, belonged to a homeless man named Greg, who would soon build a friendship with Venteicher until he died recently.

Eventually, Venteicher was even able to help Greg find housing during his final months of life. The Rochester Police Department awarded Venteicher with a letter of recognition on March 20 during RPD’s annual awards ceremony for the relationship he built with Greg.

Venteicher spent 18 months visiting Greg and his encampments, which varied from locations near the intersection of Sixth Street Southwest and Broadway Avenue South to the wooded area behind Trader Joe’s in Southwest Rochester, every week.

Once they established a good rapport, Greg shared his life story with Venteicher.

The officer learned Greg’s goals and plans, that Greg originally grew up in the South and still had family there. He learned that Greg moved to Minnesota for a girl and had moved away from cities that didn’t treated his dog properly.

“He got to the point where he could trust me,” Venteicher said. “For us to get that trust was huge.”

Connecting with people living in camps is one of the most important parts of the job, he said.

Rather than providing a quick fix for homeless people, RPD’s Community Action Team focuses on building relationships and educating individuals. He and the other officers respond to calls based on the community’s complaints. People who venture onto Rochester trails in the woods sometimes call in noticeable camps.

When a call does come in about a camp, the community action team may stumble across the same individuals they’ve spoke to before. The officers help them downsize their camps, so they can move around every day.

According to Teri Dose, RPD’s homeless outreach coordinator, the department has interacted with homeless people who collect whatever they can find, including bicycle parts, refrigerators and sofas.

“When they come across clothes or a sleeping bag or whatever, they collect and they collect and they collect,” Dose said. “That’s when it gets everybody’s attention.”

During Venteicher’s initial interaction with Greg on the bike path, he said Greg wanted to know what his options and resources were.

At the time, Rochester council members were discussing daytime camping bans. Venteicher would tell many of the homeless people he interacted with to head over to warming centers or shelters, like The Landing MN.

But this wasn’t an option for Greg and Niko.

Many centers don’t allow pets, and the two of them were a package deal.

“He was very attached,” Venteicher said. “That was his best friend.”

Venteicher said he advised them to keep moving around and informed Greg of the statewide housing list. He continued to check in on them every week.

In September 2024, while dropping off a bike at Mayowood Apartments, Venteicher ran into the apartment manager, who mentioned she had an available unit.

Soon after, paperwork was completed that confirmed Greg was certified disabled, had been experiencing homelessness and that Niko was his comfort animal.

Greg was accepted into the program.

However, Venteicher’s job didn’t stop there. He helped Niko and Greg move into the apartment on Oct. 1, 2024. Venteicher and his partner helped haul in Greg’s guitars, longboard and other necessities.

Venteicher took Niko to a veterinary appointment and took Greg grocery shopping at Walmart.

“Cost me 120 bucks in groceries,” Venteicher said, laughing. “He bought lobster, steak, shrimp. … He was happier than a clam.”

The Mayowood Apartments staff kept Venteicher in the loop about Greg, and the two would occasionally talk over the phone. Venteicher learned that Niko became well-known — and loved — by the apartment residents.

Just months after moving into his apartment, Greg died due to a heart condition. Niko is now living in Arizona with one of Greg’s sons.

“I was just excited to have him be housed in his final months,” Venteicher said. “You’re not gonna save the world, but you can still make a difference in somebody’s life that’s going to impact them.”

For Venteicher, meeting people like Greg is just part of his job. But, Dose said, Venteicher puts his heart into his work.

“I just think they’ve got the right person for the job,” she said.